


Not So Fast

by Northjet



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-04-08 10:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 25,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4300890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northjet/pseuds/Northjet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Erica Hahn came back into the picture?  Eventual Calzona.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy belongs to Shonda Rhimes and ABC. I'm just playing with the characters.
> 
> Author's Note: This fic is not meant to bash any character.

Chapter 1

Arizona Robbins was excited. Today was the day she would get to see her baby girl again. Callie and Sofia had been on vacation in Miami for 3 weeks and now they were back. Callie was scheduled to be at work today, therefore, Sofia would be at daycare.

Arizona was finishing up a chart when she heard Callie’s name amongst a group of gossiping interns.

“Hey, did you see Torres today?” She recognized the intern who spoke as the idiot who took off Joan’s neck brace.

“Oh yeah! She looks amazing. She was hot before, but wow!” Hot, hot boss intern spoke up.

“You know, if I was inclined that way, it would be for her. Especially now.” Girl intern spoke up, and then started to laugh at the looks on the others’ faces. “Just kidding guys, but she does look amazing. That vacation did her wonders.”

Arizona’s eyebrows rose. What were they talking about? She knew Callie was stunning, but they’d seen her before she left so where were these interns coming from?

“Dr. Robbins? Dr. Torres came by earlier looking for you, but you were in surgery.” A nurse came up to her, interrupting her thoughts.

“What did she want, Ann?”

“She mentioned that Sofia is at the daycare now if you wanted to go down.” Ann responded.

“Thanks for the message. I am going down right now!”

Arizona raced down to the daycare and as she looked up she came to a standstill, her mouth falling open. There was Callie, smiling, watching Sofia through the window. Miami had been very good to Callie. Callie’s tan was amazing; she was almost glowing. Even though her hair was in a ponytail, Arizona could see it had been straightened. She also had bangs. The whole package was amazing and Arizona knew if she didn’t close her mouth she would start drooling soon. Callie chose that moment to look up. She smiled at Arizona and Arizona lost the ability to breathe for a moment.

“Hey! I see you couldn’t get here fast enough.” Callie spoke up.

“Uh, um…yeah. I missed her so much, I just rushed down as soon as I found out she was here.”

“She missed you too. She asked why you didn’t come with us a couple of times.” Callie replied with a hint of sadness in her voice.

“What did you tell her?” Arizona hadn’t expected her question to come out with an edge, but it did and she saw Callie’s eyebrows rise.

“I told her the only thing I could, Arizona. I told her like we have separate houses, we take her on separate vacations now.”

“Right.” Arizona was closing herself off to this conversation. Even though it had been awhile since they split, she still blamed Callie.

Callie sighed heavily. “Look, I just wanted to thank you for agreeing to let me take her for 3 weeks. We had a great time and I really needed the time away.”

“Uh huh. I’m going in to see her.” Arizona knew she was being dismissive and she couldn’t help it.

“Okay, well see you around.” Callie walked away shaking her head.

Arizona thought about going after Callie and apologizing but decided to head into the daycare to spend time with her little girl.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It was later in her shift and she was feeling a little guilty, so Arizona headed to Callie’s office to apologize for being standoffish. She could tell Callie had been actively avoiding her after their encounter. Arizona had paged Ortho for a patient and Callie sent the other Ortho attending to answer the page. She knocked and waited for a response.

“Come in.” She heard Callie’s muffled voice.

Arizona opened the door and stepped in. Callie looked up and Arizona saw a flash of irritation cross her face.

“Hey.” Callie said cautiously.

“Hey. I just wanted to come by and apologize.” Arizona responded.

Callie regarded her for a second and then her shoulders slumped.

“I’ve been thinking we should only speak when we need to talk about Sofia. I know we were trying to be a bit friendlier with each other, but I can’t deal with not knowing what I might say to cause you disappointment.” It came out quiet, but Arizona heard it clearly.

“Callie…I’m sorry. I let my anger get to me and I shouldn’t have. I had no reason to be angry. You told her the right thing.” Arizona tried to reason.

“We always come back to this place Arizona. I can’t do it anymore.”

“We were doing better. We were getting along. How could you go from that to this decision after something so small?” Arizona argued.

“It’s just…never mind. Fine, we’ll keep getting along.” Callie said resigned.

“No, you were going to say something. Say it.” Arizona snapped; she was tired of avoiding conversations.

“Arizona, I don’t think you really want to know. You haven’t wanted to for a long time.” The last sentence was said almost in a whisper, but it was loud enough.

Arizona was dumbfounded. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times.

Finally she spoke, “Tell me what you want me to know.”

Callie contemplated Arizona, as if trying to decide whether what she had to say was a good idea. After, a pause, she finally started talking.

“Going away for a while gave me time to really ponder where I’m at in my life. I started thinking about us.” Callie paused as though she was gathering her thoughts.

“You know, I remember a lot of things you’ve said to me in the past. They stick with me. I remember you once telling me I was in love with love. It bothered me, but I didn’t dwell on it. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, though. What were the examples you gave? George, Erica, Mark, and the Coffee Cart Girl. I never had a chance to love Erica. She left before we could actually get that far. The Coffee Cart Girl, I loved her coffee, not her. I did love Mark.”

Arizona flinched and she could tell Callie saw it.

“Arizona, I did love Mark, but I wasn’t in love with Mark. You knew that deep down. He was my family. He is the only person in my life who provided me with unconditional love and now he’s gone. My father had to be convinced, ironically by you, that I was still worth loving, and my mother and sister still don’t speak to me.”

Arizona was starting to realize that maybe Callie was right and she didn’t want to hear what she had to say.

“Callie…” Arizona started.

“I have only ever loved two people and I married both of them and they both cheated on me.” Callie continued on.

Arizona felt like she had been punched in the gut. She went to speak but Callie raised her hand up to stop her.

“Underneath it all I knew George didn’t love me, but I thought maybe he would see how much I loved him and maybe he would start to feel the same way. I know now how naïve I was. Throughout the marriage, I knew I didn’t matter to him, even though I wanted to so badly.”

Callie paused and was looking off in the distance.

“With you, when we were first together I felt how much you loved me, but then it was one thing after another for us. Babies, Africa, pregnancy, Mark, car crash and then the plane crash. I know I made mistakes. I’m not perfect and I was in over my head, but I loved you. That never changed. The thing is Arizona, towards the end of our marriage I started to feel like I felt in my marriage to George. I didn’t matter to you anymore. After the plane crash everything was understandably about you, but even when we started to move past that not once did you ask me about how I felt and what I went through. You didn’t care and I realized I couldn’t be married to another person that didn’t love me.”

Arizona stood there in shock.

“How could you say that Callie? I loved you. You were the one who walked away, not me!” Arizona yelled.

“I walked away because you didn’t want to stay together out of love; you wanted to stay together out of fear. You latched on to me so you wouldn’t have to deal, just like George did after his father died.” Callie responded.

“Arizona, everything I did was the wrong thing. I could do nothing right because you never told me what you needed. I was guilty of the same thing. You couldn’t do right by me because I never told you what I needed or felt. Do you know why I made the robotic leg? Not because I was trying to fix you. I thought if I could give you a leg to control, almost like a real one, that maybe you would love me again.”

Arizona inhaled sharply.

“But it just led to another misunderstanding. Somewhere along the way we became too scared to tell each other how we really felt and what we needed from each other because we were afraid to lose each other. Look at us now. We lost each other anyway.” Callie said, wiping some tears from her eyes.

“I’ve been burying my pain for so long. That’s why I needed to get away. Being in Miami gave me some distance and allowed me to think about some things. I was thinking about leaving all together, but the vacation was what I really needed to put things in perspective.”

“I want to be friends with you Arizona, but we never were friends to begin with. So we try to be civil, we try to be friendly and then I say something wrong or you say something and we end up back at square one and I start to remember the hurts. I don’t want that anymore. I want to move forward, so I think the only way that can happen is if we only speak about Sofia from now on. Schedule, school, vacation plans, et cetera. I hope you’re okay with that because it’s all I can offer you now.”

Arizona stared at Callie, tears gathering in her eyes. She was afraid to speak for fear of breaking down. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

“Arizona, I’m not trying to hurt you, but I wanted you to understand where I’m coming from.” Callie said almost as a plea.

Arizona reached behind herself for the door knob.

“Fine.” She mumbled to Callie and then quickly ran out of the office.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Arizona was still reeling from the conversation she had with Callie the day before. She went home after, but sleep did not come easily. She was living with April now, but April was still at work so Arizona couldn’t talk to her about it.

As she trudged into the hospital, she had decided she would avoid Callie as much as possible. She groaned inwardly when she realized that would be easier said than done. There was a board meeting today before lunch. She decided she would just have to sit as far away from Callie as possible.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It was just before 11:00am and Arizona entered the conference room. As she looked up she realized it was just her and Callie, who was avoiding eye contact.

“Hey.” She mumbled.

“Hey.” Callie responded in kind.

Luckily the others followed closely behind. Arizona sat at the opposite end of the table on the other side, maintaining as much distance as possible from Callie.

Catherine Avery was the last to enter.

“Hello everybody, the purpose of this meeting is to discuss the opening for Chief of Surgery. As you all know Owen Hunt stepped aside so we have to look at some options. While one internal option has been discussed we want to bring an external option into the mix as well and do our due diligence and make sure we have the very best person in the position.” Catherine announced.

“With that in mind, I’ve found an external option who actually has worked at the hospital before. An offer of employment has been made and this person will be co-head of the department they are involved in. I have already spoken to the current head and she is okay with this as there are plenty of cases to go around. Keep in mind we are not making this person Chief of Surgery outright. We will weigh all options and come to a decision as soon as possible.”

“You didn’t think the board should have a say in this?” That question was from Bailey.

“You have a vested interest in this situation, wouldn’t you say Miranda? All of you have a bias that would not be fair to any outside candidate and as head of the Harper Avery Foundation, this offer of employment is well within our scope. I’m sorry if you feel that I am stepping on toes, but this is the way it has to be.” Catherine explained.

“Who’s the candidate?” Callie inquired.

“Wait. Are you saying you are okay with this?” Bailey asked incredulously.

“I’m not saying anything.” Callie responded.

“Well, clearly you don’t have a problem with it.” Bailey pushed.

“I just want to know who the candidate is Bailey.” Callie explained in exasperation.

“Which indicates to me that you don’t have an issue with this going down like it is.” Bailey argued.

“I’m not dismissing it outright, as you seem to do with things that don’t go exactly your way.” Callie snapped.

Bailey sat back in shock. The others were uncomfortably quiet.

“What does…” Bailey started.

“Miranda, leave it.” Catherine ordered.

Bailey looked like she was about to argue but sat back with a huff and a glare at Callie and then another one at Catherine.

“To answer Dr. Torres’ question, the candidate in question is Dr. Erica Hahn. She has accepted the offer of employment and will start in 2 weeks’ time.”

Arizona looked up at Callie as soon as she heard the name. Callie looked like she was going to be sick.

“Great. Just great.” Callie said under her breath, but almost everyone heard it.

“What was that Dr. Torres?” Catherine asked.

“Nothing. Are we done here?” Callie responded.

“For now.” 

Callie was up like a shot and out the door. Arizona stared after her in concern.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It was a couple of hours after the meeting and Arizona had just arrived at the ER after being paged. She was just about to jump right into action when she heard loud voices to her right. As she turned to look she noticed Callie and Bailey having a heated discussion.

“Look, I’m sorry I snapped at you, but you have to admit you get tunnel vision sometimes when it comes to things you don’t agree with!” Callie argued.

“You could have backed me up. This is not right and you know it.” Bailey responded with heat.

“I don’t know any such thing.” Callie shot back.

“Really? So you’re okay with the fact that Erica Hahn is coming back here and could potentially be able to tell you what to do?” Bailey asked with more than a hint of anger.

Arizona wanted to know the answer to that question.

“I really don’t know Bailey.” Callie said in resignation and walked away.

Arizona cast a worried glance in Callie’s direction but had to let it go as she was asked by one of the residents to check on a patient in the ER.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Arizona considered respecting her agreement with Callie to keep their conversations limited to Sofia. She really did, but then she realized it wasn’t healthy and it wasn’t the right thing to do. So after the run in with Bailey, she looked for Callie.

She checked everywhere she could think of before finally finding her on the roof. It was a sunny day with a gentle breeze.

Callie had turned towards the door at the sound of it opening but quickly looked back out towards the sky.

“Callie…” Arizona was unsure how to start this conversation.

Callie didn’t respond.

“Look, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Arizona stated.

“I thought we agreed to limit our conversations.” Callie responded quietly.

“We did, but we shouldn’t. It’s not healthy. Sofia would only suffer in the long run. It’s better for her to see us getting along and being friends. Not keeping each other at arm’s length.” Arizona explained.

“Arizona…” Callie began.

“No. I know I gave you a hard time yesterday and it upset you. I’ll try to be better. We both have to try to be better. We can’t get upset or walk away after something the other does or says. It’s the only way we’ll learn how to communicate better with each other. You were right yesterday. We were afraid to tell each other what we needed from the other, but the thing is we still are. We’re not together anymore but we still don’t say the things we should say to each other.” Arizona said with conviction.

“You’re right.” Callie sighed.

“I know you feel….wait, what? I’m right?” Arizona asked, slightly flustered, not expecting Callie to agree.

“Yes. We both have to be better. Sofia deserves us being the best co-parents possible after everything we’ve put her through.” Callie replied softly.

Arizona smiled when she realized they were on the same page. That’s not something that always happens with them.

“On that note, how are you doing? I know the Erica news must have thrown you for a loop.” Arizona said compassionately.

“Honestly, I’m still trying to process it. I’m not really sure how to feel.” Callie answered.

“It’s been awhile since you’ve seen her. I can’t imagine she’s still angry at you. Are you still angry at her?” Arizona queried.

“I haven’t really thought about her much since we ended. I’m not angry, but I think I still have a little bit of the hurt still in me.” Callie explained.

“Do you still have feelings for her?” Arizona asked quietly. Her stomach tightened in fear of what Callie might say. She wasn’t sure what she would do if Callie said yes.

“No. I mean it’s been years since I laid eyes on her. We never got to fall in love with each other. It ended too quickly for that. I think I just need some closure it terms of how it ended. I need to understand why it was so easy for her to walk away. She’s not the only one who’s done that to me so maybe an explanation from her might help me deal with some of that.” Callie was still not looking at Arizona as she was explaining.

Arizona was glad to hear that Callie didn’t have feelings for Erica anymore, but the pain Callie felt was clear as day. Arizona also knew she was part of the reason Callie felt that pain. She was grateful that Callie didn’t point that out, though. The issues between them were for another day. This was about Callie and Erica.

“Maybe this will be an opportunity for you to get that closure with her?” Arizona replied hopefully.

“Maybe.” Callie conceded.

Callie was quiet for a moment and Arizona just enjoyed spending time in her presence without filling the air with words. Callie broke the silence.

“She and I were friends once. Maybe we can at least try to be that again once we clear up our issues.” Callie mused.

“Maybe.” Arizona answered, hoping that’s all Callie and Erica became.

“Arizona, thanks for this. I really appreciate it.” Callie turned to Arizona and gave her a warm smile.

“You’re welcome Callie.” Arizona responded with a smile of her own.

They stood there a little longer before their pagers beckoned them back into the busy hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Two weeks passed by in a flash and now they were waiting by the stairs to be introduced to the new co-head of cardio.

Arizona was standing with Amelia and April. She looked around for Callie and noticed her walking up to the waiting group with Meredith, Maggie, and Alex. She wasn’t sure why or how those 4 started gravitating to each other, but somehow they just fit.

Catherine came out to the steps.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, as you know we have hired a new co-Chief of Cardiology and we are here to introduce her to you. Without further ado, Dr. Erica Hahn.” Catherine introduced.

Erica joined Catherine on the steps. Much of the staff had been murmuring after the announcement and Arizona noticed a few looks shot in Callie’s direction.

“Hello. I’m going to keep this brief. I’m excited to be back here and looking forward to working with you and getting to know you. Of course some of you I already know…some better than others.” The last line said with a smirk as her eyes came to rest on Callie. Arizona saw Callie tense up.

“Anyway, I can’t wait to jump right in. I’m sure this will be a great adventure.” Erica said in closing.

The crowd dispersed and Arizona was about to approach Callie when she noticed Erica making a beeline for her. Arizona couldn’t help but stand where she was and listen to the conversation.

“Hi Callie.” Erica said awkwardly.

“You remember my name?” Callie snarked. Arizona winced as did Erica.

“Look, I know we have some things to talk about and I’d like to do that. Can we have dinner?” Erica asked hopefully.

Callie looked incredulous as did the other three standing with her.

“I mean it’s not a date. I just think we need to talk privately. Can we? Say Friday? You can pick the place.” Erica added hastily.

Callie was wavering. Arizona wanted to rush over there and tell her to say no but she couldn’t, it wasn’t her place.

“We do have to talk. Dinner Friday works for me. We can figure out the details later.” Callie answered in resignation. Meredith, Alex, and Maggie looked surprised but didn’t say anything.

“Great! I’m looking forward to it. Now, Dr. Pierce, can we head to the cardio floor? I’d love the grand tour. I’m sure things have changed since I’ve been gone.” Erica said enthusiastically.

“Absolutely. Let’s go!” Maggie responded with a smile.

Meredith and Alex regarded Callie for a moment but realized there was nothing really to say. The three headed to the elevators.

Arizona stood rooted to the spot. Erica Hahn was going on a date with her ex-wife. Well not really, but Arizona was irrationally jealous and really wanted a brick right at that moment.

Arizona knew realistically she had to get a grip on her emotions as her and Callie had never even discussed any sort of possibility of reuniting, but she didn’t want that option totally off the table until they could have that talk about some of the issues between them. Especially after Callie’s revelations after she came back from Miami. For herself, she wanted to know she had done everything possible to fix the relationship before she let go completely. She just hoped Erica was being straight with Callie about the dinner being a clearing the air exercise or else she would definitely have to find a brick.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arizona was getting ready to leave after a long day. She had her back to the changing room door when it opened.

“Hey.” Callie said. Arizona could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

“Hey. Ready to head home?” Arizona asked.

“Sure am. I’m going to swing by and pick up Sofia and then we are going home for a nice quiet mother-daughter evening.” Callie responded with a smile.

“Guess you won’t be able to do that on Friday.” Arizona blurted out with a little bit of heat.

Callie stood still, a look of shock on her face.

“What do you mean? Are you talking about my dinner with Erica?” Callie questioned.

Arizona nodded, knowing if she opened her mouth, the jealousy might take over.

“It’s just dinner. We’re trying to put our issues behind us so we can work well together. Kind of like you and me after we split, except we didn’t do the dinner thing or the talking thing.” Callie explained patiently.

“We should!” Arizona exclaimed, wondering to herself where that came from.

“We should have dinner together?” Callie questioned uncertainly.

“Together….with Sofia, so she can see that we are getting along with each other.” Arizona replied.

“Hmmm, that’s not a bad idea. We should do that one day when we’re not run off our feet. How about Sunday? I’m off that day and should be well rested. I can cook us up something really nice.” Callie offered.

“Sunday works for me too! Should I come over around 5:00?” Arizona asked enthusiastically.

“Sounds like a plan. Sofia will be so excited.” Callie said happily. She gave Arizona a little wave as she headed out.

Wow, I can’t believe that worked out for me. I really have to get the jealousy under control though, Arizona thought as she finished getting ready to leave.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sunday was here and Arizona was standing at Callie’s door right at 5:00pm. She was so excited. She had tried on many different outfits, before she reminded herself that she this was not a date. She ended up settling for casual; a red top and blue jeans.

Arizona knocked and waited for Callie to answer. After about 30 seconds the door swung open and Arizona was greeted by a smiling Callie and a delighted Sofia.

“Hey, right on time! Come on in!” Callie said enthusiastically.

“Thanks! Here’s some wine. I didn’t want to come empty handed.” Arizona held out the bottle.

“You didn’t have to, but thank you so much!” Callie put Sofia down in her play area and grabbed the bottle.

Arizona leaned down and kissed Sofia on the top of the head and then followed Callie into the kitchen. She really wanted to know how Callie’s dinner with Erica went but she wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

“I’m almost done dinner. Feel free to go spend some time with Sofia while I finish up in here.” Callie said, smiling at Arizona warmly.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Arizona hurried from the kitchen and to their little girl.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner had been great. Arizona and Callie had been content to let Sofia take centre stage.

After dinner, they sat in front of the television and watched a movie together. Once the movie was over, Arizona received a goodnight hug and kiss from Sofia and Callie took the little girl to her room for bedtime.

Arizona was nervously awaiting Callie’s return. They hadn’t really been able to talk much with Sofia around and she was trying to figure out how to start a conversation between them. Callie’s return broke her from her thoughts.

“I hope you had a nice time tonight.” Callie spoke after settling herself on the sofa.

“It was great. I think Sofia was really happy to see us both together and getting along.” Arizona responded.

“She sure was. I just don’t want her getting confused about us.” Callie stated softly.

Arizona’s heart plummeted with those words but she understood. They weren’t together and at this point it wouldn’t be fair to get the little girl’s hopes up.

“She seemed to understand that I’m not here for good, just for tonight.” Arizona replied after a pause.

“She’s a smart little girl.” Callie said proudly. Arizona nodded.

There was a lull in the conversation and finally Arizona couldn’t hold back anymore. She needed to find out.

“So, how was your dinner with Erica?” Arizona probed.

Callie stared at her for a second before responding.

“It was awkward at first but once we got into the conversation it was actually pretty cathartic.” Callie paused as she thought back to the conversation.

“Did you get the answers you were looking for?” Arizona asked.

“I did. I know when she and I got together, I made mistakes. I was still trying to figure out what liking women meant for me. Erica realized that this was it for her but I was confused and I slept with Mark. I realized I like both men and women, but sleeping with Mark hurt her. Now, we hadn’t discussed exclusivity but it was still wrong on my part. I told her about it and she seemed to not hold it against me.” Callie explained.

“Hold up. You slept with Mark after you and Erica got together?” Arizona questioned incredulously.

“It wasn’t my finest moment and I felt bad about it. Like I said she seemed to understand and let it go.” Callie defended with a little anger.

“Alright, alright. It’s not my place to judge. You were going through something huge so I can understand how confused you might have been.” Arizona soothed.

“Anyway, back to the conversation. She admitted that she handled things badly. She let her anger and pride get in the way and her leaving had more to do with her than it had to do with me. She apologized and I apologized for my part in our end. It really was a good conversation and I’m glad we had it. It will make working together a lot easier.” Callie continued after calming down.

“Is that all she wants?” Arizona couldn’t believe that the question had slipped out.

“She and I are different now. I think we can get a friendship back but I’m not even thinking about anything else and I don’t think she is either.” Callie answered the question after thinking for a moment.

“Are you sure she isn’t?” Arizona pressed.

“We had one dinner and we are planning to talk more, but I don’t really know what she wants at this point Arizona.” Callie responded quickly.

“What do you want?” Arizona asked quietly.

Arizona could tell Callie wasn’t sure she should answer that question.

“I want to find someone I click with again. I may never find that and I have made peace with that, but I hope I do. To be honest, I’m scared to put myself out there again. I’m not sure I would survive another heartbreak.” Callie admitted softly.

Arizona stared at Callie for a moment, her heart breaking at the mere thought of Callie not allowing herself to love anyone again.

“That would be a shame.” Arizona responded to the admission sadly.

“What?” Callie asked after a moment.

“You not allowing yourself to love the way only you can.” Arizona disclosed with a lump in her throat.

Callie stared at Arizona with wide eyes.

“Arizona…” Callie started hesitantly.

“You deserve to be happy Callie. Don’t let what happened in the past hold you back from that.” Arizona cut in.

“It’s easier said than done.” Callie replied unhappily.

Arizona wasn’t sure what to say to that and she wasn’t ready for the conversation that she knew they needed to have. Guilt was eating at her and she needed time to regroup and think about the things she needed to say to Callie.

“This got a lot heavier than I thought it would.” Arizona admitted after a moment of silence.

“That it did.” Callie responded gently.

“It’s late. I should head home.” Arizona said as she got up from the sofa.

Callie got up from the sofa and followed Arizona to the door.

“Thank you for dinner, Callie.” Arizona said as Callie opened the door.

“Thank you for coming. Drive safe.” Callie responded as Arizona stepped outside.

Callie closed the door once she saw Arizona had entered her car. Arizona slumped down in her seat. She realized she needed to get her thoughts in order before she lost any chance she might have with Callie.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was a couple of weeks after their dinner and Arizona was sitting in the cafeteria eating her lunch, shooting daggers at Callie’s table. She was not shooting those daggers at Callie, but at her lunch companion. Her lunch buddy was none other than Erica Hahn.

“Dude, you need to be more subtle.” Alex said to Arizona as he took a bite of his lunch.

“What are you talking about?” Arizona asked innocently.

“Torres is going to catch you soon if you don’t tone it down.” Alex answered matter of factly.

“Why is she having so much fun eating with Hahn? I mean look at them. It’s like they’re long lost friends.” Arizona whispered in irritation. Noting Callie throwing her head back in laughter yet again at something Erica said to her.

“They are. Yeah, it got all mixed up when they started dating, but Torres is the only one who truly got Hahn and because of that Hahn treated Callie differently than she treated everyone else. She was nicer to her.” Alex explained.

“Until she left her.” Arizona mumbled under her breath.

“Dude, you’re jealous. What are you doing sitting here complaining about them? If you want your wife back you need to step up. Otherwise step aside.” Alex stated with a little heat.

“Whoa. Where did that come from? I have to figure out what I want to say to her.” Arizona stated with her eyes wide.

“Sounds more like you’re being a coward. Look, I like you both. I’ve got your back, but I’ve got hers too. You can’t have it both ways Robbins. Either you…woman up or let her go. She doesn’t need you making cow eyes at her or burning holes in the back of Erica’s head if you don’t plan on following through.” Alex remarked bluntly.

With that he stood up, tossed out his trash and left the cafeteria. Arizona stared after him in shock.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arizona’s day went from bad to worse when she realized she had to share an operating room with Erica Hahn. Maggie was supposed to do the surgery but was stuck operating on another patient. Arizona was scrubbing in when Hahn walked in.

“Dr. Robbins.” Hahn said with a nod.

“Dr. Hahn.” Arizona replied as she finished scrubbing.

Just then Stephanie walked in. She looked from Arizona to Erica and her eyes widened. Clearly she’s heard some rumors, Arizona mused.

“Dr. Edwards is on my service so she’ll be scrubbing in.” Erica explained.

“That’s fine with me. I’ll see you in the operating room.” Arizona responded as she stepped through the door.

Shortly after that she was joined by Erica and Stephanie.

“So Dr. Robbins, I’ve heard a lot about you.” Erica started the conversation.

“What do you mean by that?” Arizona asked defensively.

Erica’s eyes widened at Arizona’s response.

“Uh, I was just talking about you being a great doctor. Peds and Fetal Surgery. Pretty impressive.” Erica replied with caution.

“Oh, ah, thanks.” Arizona mumbled in embarrassment.

Erica stared at Arizona for a moment before going back to the task at hand.

“Do you have a problem with me Dr. Robbins?” Erica inquired not looking up. Stephanie did though, glancing back and forth between Arizona and Erica.

“Why would you think that?” Arizona gritted out.

“You just seem a little standoffish and I’m pretty sure I’ve looked up a few times and caught you glaring at me.” Erica remarked.

“Maybe we should just focus on the surgery rather than talking.” Arizona stated curtly.

“Hmm. I can do both, but whatever you prefer.” Erica returned with a slight shrug.

Even though she asked for it, the silence was oppressive so Arizona spoke.

“I hear you and Callie seem to have re-started your friendship.” Arizona said quietly.

Erica looked up in surprise as did Stephanie.

“Yeah, she’s great. I’m glad we managed to put the mess from before behind us.” Erica answered, clearly smiling behind her mask.

“She is great.” Arizona agreed softly.

“She’s different though. She used to wear her heart on her sleeve. She doesn’t do that anymore.” Erica indicated clearly waiting for a response from Arizona.

“She’s been hurt a lot.” Arizona conceded.

“I’ve heard. It can’t have been easy with all the people she’s lost.” Erica said astutely.

“Yeah…” Arizona trailed off not quite sure what else to say.

“Anyways, I’m done here. Edwards, you want to close?” Erica asked, turning to Stephanie.

“Absolutely!” Stephanie answered eagerly, stepping up to the patient.

Erica was heading to the door when she turned back.

“You know, when I first came here, I thought all I wanted was a chance to be friends with Callie again. Now that I’m getting to know her as she is now, I realize I want to be the one to make her happy again. I think I can be the one to do that if she’ll let me.” Erica stated quietly but confidently before walking out.

Arizona and Stephanie gazed after her stunned before silently going back to finishing up on the patient.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Arizona spent the next few days avoiding both Callie and Erica. Erica was easy, but Callie not so much. Arizona was walking down the hall, when Callie tracked her down.

“Hey! How’s it going?” Callie asked as she settled in beside Arizona.

“Good. You?” Arizona said as she stopped by a desk.

“I’m good too. Actually I wanted to ask you a quick question.” Callie answered clearly a little nervous.

“Go ahead.”

“I was wondering if you wanted Sofia for a couple of hours on Saturday? I have a…thing planned and I thought I would check with you first before hiring a babysitter.” Callie explained quickly.

“Oh…ah…yeah. Anytime I can spend with Sofia is awesome. Thanks for coming to me first.” Arizona smiled as she responded.

“Great! I thought being with you would be better. She adores you. Thanks for agreeing. Anyways, I better head back to my department.” Callie stated as she started backing away.

“Oh Callie? Um….ah….” Arizona wanted to ask Callie where she was going, but she had no right, so she stopped.

Callie looked at her questioningly.

“Arizona?”

“Have fun on Saturday.” Arizona responded quickly.

“Oh! Thank you.” Callie glanced at Arizona again and then walked away.

Arizona watched her with a heavy heart. She was sure Callie was going on a date.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Lunch time rolled around and Arizona was sitting in the cafeteria with Maggie and Alex. She had noticed Erica Hahn walk in but thought nothing of it until a tray was set down by Maggie and Erica sat down beside her.

“Hey!” Maggie greeted as she took a quick glance between Arizona and Erica.

Alex’s only response was his eyebrows reaching his hairline as he looked between the two. Arizona had filled him in on what Erica had said during their operation.

“Hey. Hope it’s okay to sit here.” Erica said as she started digging into her lunch.

Maggie nodded her head, Alex shrugged, and Arizona glared. All the sudden a pager blared and Maggie heaved a sigh of relief that it was hers. She quickly grabbed her tray and left without a backwards peek.

“So how is everyone?” Erica tried to start a conversation.

Again Alex shrugged. This time Arizona added a grunt to her glare.

“Okayyyyy. Talkative bunch. I guess this will be a quiet lunch.” Erica focused her attention on her food.

Another pager blared and Alex was up and out of the cafeteria in a hurry.

“What do you know?” Arizona asked bluntly, fixing her eyes on Erica.

“What do you mean?” Erica hedged.

“About me and Callie. What do you know?” Arizona pressed with a hint of anger in her voice.

After a pause Erica began her explanation.

“Callie told me that you two were married but that too many things happened and your relationship couldn’t survive those issues.”

“That’s all?” Arizona quizzed, not quite believing that was all Erica knew.

“That’s all Callie said. On the other hand, this place still runs on gossip and the gossip mill was quite informative.” Erica admitted.

“In what way?” Arizona already knew the answer. She didn’t know why she asked.

“You really want to know?” Erica was sceptical.

Arizona nodded.

“I heard all the gossip about Africa, Mark, Sofia, the plane crash… and the cheating.” Erica laid it out.

Arizona felt sick to her stomach.

“I never thought, after George, another person would cheat on Callie.” Erica said quietly.

“I never thought I would do that.” Arizona responded miserably.

“Like Callie said, a lot happened, a lot changed.” Erica stated sympathetically.

Arizona was surprised but what came out of her mouth surprised her even more.

“I still love her and I’m not going to sit back and let someone else take away my chance with her.” 

“I think that’s Callie’s call, don’t you?” Erica countered clearly surprised by the turn in the conversation.

“It is. I’m not going to sit back while you wine and dine her.” Arizona stated confidently.

“Well, you’ll have to on Saturday.” Erica blurted heatedly.

Arizona sat stunned and watched as Erica quickly gathered her things and left. Clearly Erica hadn’t meant to reveal anything and was now having an internal panic attack.

Arizona was devastated to find out she was right about Saturday. It just never dawned on her the date would be with Erica and she wasn’t quite sure what to do with that information.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Callie was already changing into her street clothes when Arizona walked in to the locker room. She regarded Callie for a moment as she headed to her locker.

“Erica? Really?” It was out of her mouth before Arizona could stop it.

“What?” Callie asked in confusion as she turned around to look at Arizona.

“Your ‘thing’ on Saturday is a date with Erica.” Arizona replied returning Callie’s gaze.

“It’s not a date. It’s two friends having dinner together.” Callie was clearly annoyed.

“Does she know that? Because I’m pretty sure she thinks it’s a date.” Arizona pushed.

“I can’t control what Erica thinks. We agreed to have a friendly dinner. What is going on here?” Callie was at the end of her rope.

“I never thought you’d lead someone on when they clearly have feelings for you.” Arizona uttered her anger clearly getting the best of her.

“No, that’s what you do, right? Leah Murphy ring a bell?” Callie responded quickly, clearly caught off guard by what she said.

Arizona was struck silent.

“Dammit! I can’t believe I let you suck me into this conversation.” Callie was incensed.

“Me! You…” Arizona started to defend herself.

“Enough!” Callie roared.

Arizona stepped back as she took in Callie’s anger.

“You have no right! Even if it is a date, which it’s not, it is none of your business. Yeah, I’m aware Erica is interested in more and you know what? It’s refreshing to know where someone stands and where I stand with someone. I love not having to walk on eggshells. I love not worrying about the fact that I’m not sure what the other person wants. Maybe something more comes of my time with Erica, maybe it doesn’t. One thing I do know, Arizona, is you and I are not together. I am a single woman who can go out and date whomever I want without having to defend myself to you.” With that Callie picked up her purse and stormed out.

Arizona sat down on the bench and buried her head in her hands. She had to fix this, but how?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Arizona had driven straight to Callie’s house after she finished changing. They had to address this before it got really bad. After she rang the bell, the door quickly swung open and she noticed as soon as Callie realized it was her, a mask of indifference fell over her face.

“Can I come in?” Arizona asked quietly.

After a moment of hesitation, Callie let her in and led her into the living room.

“Is Sofia here?” Arizona questioned.

“She’s at Meredith’s having a sleep over with Zola.” Callie responded as she shook her head.

“Good. We need to talk and if we get loud I don’t want her to hear.”

“I think we talked enough earlier.” Callie replied tiredly.

“No! We are clearly in a bad place and we can’t keep doing that to each other. We have to try to fix this at least. The longer we wait the worse it will be.” Arizona pushed to clear the air.

“Arizona I’m exhausted. I can’t keep fighting with you. I don’t want to but I don’t think we’ll ever truly be friends no matter how hard we try.” Callie admitted sadly.

Arizona sat back against the sofa trying to figure out a way to get through to Callie. She had to take a leap of faith.

“I don’t want to be just friends Callie. I want to be a family again and the only way to do that is to talk through the things that lie between us.” Arizona confessed softly.

Callie looked at Arizona in shock.

“You want us to find our way back to each other? Why? We’ve failed each other so many times…” Callie was shaking her head.

“I love you. It’s as simple as that. I want to fix us so we can be happy, but you have to want it too Callie. Do you love me at all?” Arizona left herself vulnerable to Callie in a way she never had before.

“I do, but I’m not sure we know how to fix us.” Callie acknowledged the reason for her hesitation.

“We need to talk out our issues. It’s the only way. Please.” Arizona pleaded.

Callie looked like she was going to say no, but Arizona gave her a minute to think things through. Finally she nodded and Arizona let out a relieved breath.

“I’m not sure where to start.” Arizona admitted honestly.

“Africa?” Callie threw out as a suggestion.

“Why Africa?” Arizona quizzed.

“It seems to be when the resentment started.” Callie mumbled.

“It’s just you were supposed to come but you were so miserable. I couldn’t let you get on that plane knowing that you’d probably end up resenting me for making you leave Seattle. Then I missed you so much and I came home and you were pregnant by Mark. Yet another decision you made for us…” Arizona trailed off as she realized Callie was turning red with anger.

“Uh…you clearly want to say something, so go ahead.” Arizona stated cautiously.

“Remember one time you told me to stop playing the victim? You need to stop doing that as well. Yeah, I was unhappy about leaving Seattle, but I was willing to for you. I know I behaved poorly and that’s on me, but Arizona you were so excited about going that you couldn’t see past what I was giving up. I was so upset about leaving that I couldn’t feel the excitement. That’s on both of us.”

Arizona was about to reply when she realized Callie still had more to say.

“You keep saying I made all the decisions, but I didn’t. Just because you say that doesn’t make it true. You made decisions. You agreed to have babies, you chose to leave me in an airport, you chose to come back from Africa, you decided to be in. I only started making decisions for us in the aftermath of the plane crash because you refused to and I had Sofia to worry about. So stop acting like I forced you to do things you didn’t want to do. If you didn’t want to do them, you shouldn’t have.” Callie responded forcefully.

Arizona sat back in shock.

“You’re right.” She remarked delicately.

Callie leaned back in her seat indicating that Arizona should continue.

“Africa was on both of us. Mark was a whole other issue. He had so much space in our lives and I get it now but it was hard for me then. Your history with him made me so insecure. I understand now it wasn’t romantic love but it would have been nice if he didn’t have as much space as he did. I should have indicated how unhappy I was, but at the same time you shouldn’t have let him have as much room in our lives as you did.” Arizona continued.

Callie nodded; she was listening and letting Arizona have her say.

“You’re not wrong. I was holding you leaving against you and Mark had never hurt me so I let him have too much space. I should have set boundaries so you’d have been more comfortable.”

“We were happy for a while after the car crash, but then I got on that plane and everything changed. You made a promise you never should have made and I couldn’t get past my anger. I wish I could undo the way I treated you in the aftermath of the crash and I wish I could take back what I did during the storm. I know I can’t, but know it’s the biggest regret I have out of everything that happened between us. I tried to explain it away so many different ways, but ultimately I was hurting because I lost my leg and I wanted to hurt you in some way so you’d know how I felt. Realizing that’s the reason I did that made me feel sick. I wish I had realized I was alive and that was all that mattered but I couldn’t get out of the spiral of anger and resentment. Then I found out just what you sacrificed in order to make sure I had Karev on my side and I realized whatever resentment I had left I could let go. I don’t hold anything against you anymore and I think that was an important hurdle to clear in order for us to fix our relationship.” Arizona explained sincerely.

Callie was silent for a moment and when she looked up Arizona could see tears pooling in her eyes.

“I know how hard it must have been to put yourself out there.” Callie acknowledged.

Arizona nodded with a small smile.

“You remember after April’s disaster of a wedding, when we nearly broke up. You told me that you felt like you were not enough. From the start of our relationship I feel like I’ve been jumping through hoops to prove I love you. First I was a newborn, and then I was in love with love, then Mark. I tried to show you just because I was a newborn, I was still worth dating. I had to stand between you and a man with a gun to show you just how much I was willing to risk for you because I loved you. I married you so you would know I belonged solely to you and not you and Mark. But nothing was enough. Then the plane crash and I tried to tell you I loved you regardless of whether you had two legs or not, but I clearly didn’t use the right words because they weren’t enough either and you slept with another woman.”

“Callie…” Arizona interrupted.

“Believe me, I know you were trying to get back at me, but I also know exactly what Boswell was. She was like the women you used to date before me. Easy. No emotional connection whatsoever so whatever happened there wouldn’t matter in the end. But it mattered to me. You shared your body with her in a way that was only meant for me and it broke me Arizona.” Callie paused for a moment.

Arizona felt tears sliding down her face.

“I trust you in many ways. I trust you with our daughter because you are an amazing mother and would give up your own life before you let anything happen to Sofia. I trust you in an operating room because you are a brilliant doctor. But the one thing I don’t trust you with is my heart. I still love you with all my heart, but at the end of the day, you got past your resentment, I haven’t. You still cheated and that will never change. I thought I could get past it and move forward with you, but the thought in the back of my head is what if I do something to make her angry again? Will she sleep with someone else to hurt me? I know it’s not fair but I don’t know how to move past that. So here it is Arizona. I can’t get over my hurt. Because of that we will never be happy together and I can’t hold you back that way. I’m letting you go.” Callie said tearfully.

Arizona shook her head even as her own tears fell.

“NO! You are giving up and I’m not going to let you do that!” Arizona stated vehemently.

“Arizona…” Callie started.

“No, I’m going to figure out a way to prove to you that we can work. Show you that you can trust me with your heart again.” Arizona stated firmly.

With that she stood up and left the house knowing if she stayed she would not be able to keep from sobbing.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Arizona entered her apartment and slumped down on the sofa. Tears were still streaming down her face.

April came out of the kitchen, took one look at her roommate and sat down next to her placing an arm around her shoulders.

“What happened?” April asked in alarm.

Arizona just shook her head. She burrowed her head in the crook of April’s neck as she rode out the storm of tears. Once she was cried out she spoke.

“Callie and I had an argument at work today. It was pretty bad so I went over to her place to talk.”

“It didn’t go well?” April asked softly.

“She told me she didn’t trust me with her heart. She doesn’t know if I’ll cheat again and can’t forgive the cheating from before. She said she was letting me go.” Arizona fought back tears as she recounted the highlights of the conversation.

“Arizona, I believe you when you say you won’t cheat…” April trailed off.

“But?” Arizona asked.

“It makes sense that Callie is not sure where you stand. You’re not an open book and some of the things that happened in the aftermath could possibly have convinced Callie that you no longer love her. Put yourself in her shoes. How would you regain that trust?” April replied gently.

Arizona stared at April for a moment trying to digest what she said.

“I’m not sure.” Arizona remarked honestly.

“It’s going to take time. Sometimes just saying the words is not enough. Actions speak louder.” April advised.

Arizona nodded her head indicating she had heard what April said.

“I’m heading to bed. Good night.” April said after giving Arizona one last comforting hug.

“Good night.” Arizona sat and thought about what she was going to do before heading to sleep.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arizona nervously entered the hospital the next day. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to Callie if she saw her. She felt her phone vibrate with an incoming message. She pulled it out of her pocket and read a terse message from Callie telling her she no longer needed her to watch Sofia on Saturday. Arizona was worried that Callie was letting their latest setback affect their parenting relationship.

She headed up to her floor bumping into Alex along the way.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Alex greeted.

“Not good.” Arizona mumbled.

“What happened?” He asked in concern.

“I took your advice and stepped up. It was not good.” Arizona responded. She proceeded to tell him what happened with Callie.

After the story, Alex considered her for a moment.

“What?” Arizona asked after the staring became uncomfortable.

“You get words aren’t going to work anymore, right?” Alex questioned.

“Why? I mean them.” Arizona argued.

“Well, she thought you meant everything you said the last couple of years, but everything you did made the words seem like just that…words. Actions…” Alex explained.

“Yeah, actions speak louder. April said that too.” Arizona grumbled.

“It’s the truth. I believe everything you say right now, but Callie has reasons to not believe what you say and you know that. It sucks, but it is what it is. You have to decide if it’s worth the trouble…”

“She is worth it!” Arizona interjected before Alex could finish what he was trying to say.

“Then keep that in mind. Picture the goal. Work towards it.” Alex said softly.

He wandered away leaving Arizona to ponder his advice.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Try as she might, Arizona couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that Callie was punishing her by cancelling her time with Sofia on Saturday. She had to make sure that what happened between them wasn’t going to affect Sofia.

To that end she was outside Callie’s office door getting up enough courage to knock. It’s now or never, she thought as she quickly brought her hand up and rapped on the door.

“Come in.” The answer was immediate.

She opened the door and entered quickly closing the door behind her.

Callie looked up and was immediately on guard. She also looked upset.

“Arizona?” Callie inquired cautiously.

“I…uh…um…” Arizona stammered. She was incredibly nervous.

“Just say it.” Callie prodded.

“Why don’t you want me to watch Sofia on Saturday?” Arizona asked quickly.

“Something came up; I had to cancel my dinner with Erica. I have to go to Miami for a few days and I wanted to take Sofia with me. I was going to let you know.” Callie explained.

“Oh…you’re taking her to Miami again.” Arizona stated not entirely happy about that.

“Not for three weeks. Just a few days. I have to go.” Callie responded in irritation.

“You don’t have to take Sofia. She can stay with me.” Arizona said hopefully.

“Don’t make this difficult Arizona. We’ll be back in a few days and these are my days with her anyways.” Callie responded.

“Why does she have to go?” Arizona probed.

“Because…” Callie faded out.

“That’s not a good enough excuse.” Arizona argued.

“I got a call last night after you left. My father had a heart attack and I’m not sure how bad it is. I want Sofia to have a chance to say goodbye if it comes to that. She loves him a lot. There, you have your answer.” Callie replied with tears forming in her eyes.

“Callie…” Arizona paused and stared at the woman she loves. She went around to Callie’s side of the desk and gathered Callie in her arms.

Callie struggled for a moment but then buried her head in Arizona’s neck.

“I can’t lose him too.” Callie’s muffled statement bought tears to Arizona’s eyes.

“You’ll go there and see he’s on the mend. I pr…” Arizona tried to soothe Callie.

“You can’t promise that Arizona. Please don’t. I know all about making promises that might not be able to be kept.” Callie said shortly after pulling out of the hug.

“Callie…can I come with you and Sofia? I care about Carlos too.” Arizona asked hopefully.

Callie shook her head.

“Arizona, there is so much stress and unhappiness between us. I don’t want to bring that to my father right now. If he is on the mend, then we’ll look at a trip in the future.”

“Please…” Arizona pleaded.

“I’m not trying to punish you. I hope you know that. I’m trying to do what’s best for my dad. Excluding this moment, you and I are in a bad place right now. I can’t let what’s going on between us affect him and it would. Please understand.” Callie begged.

“Okay.” Arizona nodded struggling to keep the tears from falling.

“I’ll text you updates and I’ll have Sofia skype you every day. I won’t freeze you out just because of everything going on between us. I promise.” Callie said trying to meet Arizona half way.

“Thank you. I hope everything works out okay.” Arizona replied quietly.

She left Callie’s office and headed up to her floor. She wished she could be there for Callie and Sofia, but understood why she couldn’t.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Callie had been true to her word while she was in Miami. She had sent Arizona regular updates on Carlos’ health and had Sofia skype with her every night they were there.

Thankfully, when Callie got to Miami she found that Carlos was going to make a full recovery. While on her skype calls with Sofia, Arizona could see Callie in the background. She could tell a weight had been lifted now that she knew her father was going to be okay.

They had ended up staying for four days and today they were coming back.

Arizona went in search of Meredith. She knew Callie had asked Meredith to pick her and Sofia up from the airport. She caught sight of her in one of the halls.

“Meredith, hey!” Arizona greeted as she sped up to catch up with her.

“Hey. What’s up?” Meredith asked.

“I know you’re supposed to pick up Callie and Sofia today but I was wondering if it would be okay if I went instead.” Arizona requested quickly.

Meredith turned to her with her eyebrows raised as if silently asking if that was a good idea.

“Well, I was supposed to pick them up, but I have a surgery scheduled then, so Maggie’s going to pick them up. You’ll have to talk to her.” Meredith said as she walked away.

Arizona sighed as she started her search for Maggie. She quickly tracked her down on the Cardio floor.

“Maggie! Quick question, is it okay with you if I go pick up Callie and Sofia instead?” Arizona queried.

“Sure. But do you think that’s a good idea?” Maggie inquired with a hint of warning in her voice.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Thanks Maggie!” Arizona said as she scurried away.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arizona was waiting with bated breath for Callie and Sofia to disembark from the plane. She started second guessing her decision, but knew it was too late to change her mind. She hoped Callie wouldn’t be upset to see her there. All the sudden she heard her little girl’s voice.

“Mama!” Sofia came running and jumped straight into her arms.

“Hey baby girl. I missed you so much.” Arizona murmured as she picked up Sofia and kissed the top of her head.

“Me too.” Sofia said as she burrowed her head into Arizona’s neck. The little girl was clearly tired from the trip.

Arizona looked up to see Callie standing in front of her. There was a guarded look in Callie’s eyes, which caused Arizona’s heart to drop. Callie was evidently still distancing herself from Arizona.

“Hi.” Callie greeted after a moment.

“Hi. I hope it’s okay that I’m here.” Arizona nervously stated.

“It’s fine. I’ll go grab the luggage and then we can head out.” Callie responded tiredly.

“Okay. It started raining but I parked pretty close by so we shouldn’t get too soaked.” Arizona informed Callie.

Callie nodded and headed to baggage claim. It took a few minutes but Callie managed to grab both bags and then they set off to the car and then home.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Once they got to Callie’s place, Arizona could tell both girls were barely keeping awake.

“Let me make a quick dinner for you and then both of you can go to sleep. Okay?” Arizona asked Callie gently.

Callie considered her for a moment and then consented.

Arizona headed to the kitchen and quickly boiled some spaghetti and warmed up some sauce. She put a couple of plates on the table and then called Callie and Sofia to the table.

“Where’s your plate?” Callie questioned quietly.

“Um…ah…I just assumed it would be you and Sofia.” Arizona spluttered.

“Arizona, you made us dinner, I wouldn’t expect you not to eat with us.” Callie replied.

Arizona smiled at Callie and then grabbed a plate for herself. She settled in across from Sofia.

“Thank you for picking us up.” Callie said after a few minutes.

“You’re welcome. Anytime.” Arizona answered quickly.

“Um…it’s coming down pretty hard out there. I’d feel better if you didn’t go back out until it was a little clearer. Do you want to stay in the guest room? I’m pretty sure there are some clothes of yours around here somewhere.” Callie offered.

“Are you sure?” Arizona hedged.

“Yes.” Callie succinctly answered.

“Okay.” Arizona agreed.

The rest of dinner was silent.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After dinner all three were ready to go to sleep. The problem for Arizona was that although she was exhausted, the thought of Callie being down the hall was keeping her mind going a mile a minute and so she couldn’t fall asleep.

After a few minutes a succession of loud claps of thunder caused Sofia to wake up crying. While Arizona put her prosthetic back on she heard Callie shuffle into Sofia’s room.

“Hey baby girl. It’s okay.” She heard Callie murmuring to their daughter in an attempt to calm her down. Then she heard Callie pull up a chair to Sofia’s bed and start to sing to her.

Once Arizona had her leg back on, she wandered over to Sofia’s room. She stood at the door as she watched Callie rub Sofia’s back and continue to sing. When Callie realized Arizona was there, she didn’t miss a beat as she turned to the door. Arizona could still see that guarded look in Callie’s eye and it was too much for her to bear. She gave Callie a tight smile and headed back to the guest room.

Once in the guest room, Arizona sat on the edge of the bed. She couldn’t handle the look in Callie’s eyes. That look felt like Callie would never be able to let Arizona back into her heart. That look made it feel like she would never be able to make Callie happy again. Arizona knew what she had to do.

When she heard Callie head back to her room, Arizona followed shortly after.

“Callie?” Arizona began hesitantly.

Callie quickly sat up in bed, turning the bedside lamp on. She raised her eyebrows indicating Arizona should continue.

“I know you said you were letting me go, but do you…do you want me to let you go? It would kill me to do it, but I love you so much and I want you to be happy and all I see when you look at me right now is fear and mistrust. I’ll let you go, but you have to say the words.” Arizona said putting her heart on the line.

Callie was stunned.

“Arizona…I can’t have this conversation right now. I’m so tired. Can we talk about it in the morning? Please?” Callie requested.

Arizona agreed. She headed back to the guest room wiping the tears from her eyes. She was worried about what the morning would bring and she was certain she would get no sleep that night.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

In the morning, after Arizona was done her shower she heard Callie shuffling around in the kitchen. She was nervous, but she wanted to have the conversation that they put off during the night.

She entered the kitchen and looked at Callie nervously.

“Good Morning.” She greeted softly.

Callie looked up quickly.

“Morning. I’m sorry, I know we were supposed to talk but I was paged. I have to head to the hospital right away. I have to get Sofia ready and I just don’t have the time to talk with you.” Callie said in a rush.

“Oh…it’s okay. We’ll talk later.” Arizona responded with disappointment.

“Okay, I’ll go get Sofia ready. She’s going to be cranky. She’s still sleeping.” Callie stated worriedly.

“I’ll do it. You go to work. I’ll get her ready once she’s awake and bring her to the hospital when I start my shift.” Arizona offered.

Callie stopped and slowly turned to gaze at Arizona.

“Are…are you sure?” Callie questioned.

“Yes. Give me a key and I’ll lock up. I’ll give you the key back when I get to the hospital.” Arizona prodded.

Callie walked over to one of the drawers and pulled out a key. She hesitated slightly before handing it to Arizona.

Callie picked up her purse and was at the door when she turned back to Arizona.

“Thank you for everything Arizona.” She said genuinely before stepping out of the house.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arizona had just dropped Sofia off at daycare and was now knocking on Callie’s office door to return her house key.

The door swung open and Arizona could see Callie was on her cell phone. Callie ushered Arizona in but gestured to her to wait until she was off the phone.

“Yes daddy, I’m sure… I’ll hire someone… It should be okay…Okay, I’ll call you after work and we can finalize the details…I love you too, bye.” Callie turned to Arizona as she hung up.

“Your dad? How’s he doing?” Arizona asked sincerely.

“He’s getting stronger. He wants to come to Seattle and stay with me for a while. I said okay.” Callie informed Arizona.

“Oh, that’s good. He’ll get to spend some time with Sofia and you.” Arizona replied.

“I think his brush with death has him re-thinking things. He told my mom she wasn’t welcome to join him here.” Callie admitted miserably.

“He’s leaving her?” Arizona questioned, surprised.

“He hasn’t said that in so many words, but I think so.” Callie seemed upset by the thought.

“Why are you so upset?” Arizona queried in confusion.

“I don’t want to be the reason he leaves her.” Callie confessed.

“Callie…he keeps himself from spending as much time as he’d like with you and Sofia because of her. I think he’s doing it more for himself than he is for you. You can’t blame yourself for everything. It’s not healthy and it’s certainly not true.” Arizona replied caringly.

Callie’s eyes shone with tears, but they didn’t fall.

“Thank you.” Callie whispered.

Arizona nodded. She had thought she and Callie would be able to talk now but she knew it wasn’t the best time. Truth be told, as long as Callie didn’t tell Arizona to give up, she had hope, so she wasn’t going to push Callie for the conversation.

“Do you have to make any plans for your dad’s arrival?” Arizona quizzed.

“We’re going to talk later and pinpoint the date he’s coming. I’ll probably hire a private nurse in the short-term to ensure he’s okay. I’ll have to look into that.” Callie answered.

“If you need any help let me know. Even if it’s just taking Sofia for a couple of hours. Anything you need, you call me. Okay?” Arizona offered.

“Okay.”

Arizona stood up and was about to head to the door, when Callie grabbed her hand.

“I appreciate it.” Callie said not looking at Arizona.

Arizona smiled down at Callie. Callie took a glance and smiled back, then she let Arizona’s hand go.

Once she was on the other side of the door, Arizona looked down at her hand, remembering the feel of Callie’s hand holding it.

After a moment she looked up and proceeded to her floor.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Carlos Torres arrived three weeks later and it was only a few days in but Arizona could tell he was driving Callie around the bend.

They hadn’t had much time to talk about their own issues, as Callie was working on getting things ready for her dad’s arrival. Arizona helped by taking Sofia as needed and providing Callie with contact information for private nurses and any other items she needed in order to get her place ready.

One thing that was bothering Arizona was that Erica was still hanging around and also trying to help Callie. She knew it was silly, but she was jealous. She sucked it up though, because Callie needed the help.

On this particular day, Arizona had seen Callie on her cell phone heading out the front door of the hospital. She wasn’t done for the day but appeared to be having an animated conversation and didn’t want anybody to hear.

Arizona made her way out the door to see if she was okay. She saw her pacing around while on the phone.

“…daddy please. She is the fourth one. You can’t keep firing them.” Arizona heard Callie say with exasperation.

Arizona stood to the side and waited until she was done.

“What was wrong with this one? You know what don’t answer that. We’ll talk about it when I get home. Bye.” Callie hung up the phone in resignation.

Arizona approached Callie, whose back was to her.

“Is everything okay?” Arizona asked softly.

Callie turned around with a start.

“It’s been better.” She admitted after getting over her scare.

“Anything I could do to help?” Arizona probed.

“My dad fired the fourth nurse in four days. At this rate, I’m going to have to stay home myself and I don’t have any vacation time left.” Callie stated in irritation.

“I have vacation time. I could stay with him for a bit while you’re at work.” Arizona offered kindly.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that Arizona.” Callie replied quietly.

“I’m offering. You’re not asking. I’m happy to help Callie. Let me, please.” Arizona prodded.

Callie looked up hopefully.

“Are you sure?” Callie inquired cautiously.

Arizona nodded with a small smile.

“Thank you so much! This means a lot to me. If he gives you a hard time, you tell me and I will set him straight.” Callie said quickly.

“Don’t worry. I’m tough. I can handle Carlos Torres.” Arizona responded with a laugh.

“Thanks again Arizona. I really appreciate it.” Callie impulsively hugged Arizona.

Arizona returned the hug wholeheartedly. The hug felt amazing and as they started to pull back they caught each other’s eyes and a charged moment hung between them. They both started to lean in, when Callie pulled completely out of the hug and cleared her throat.

“I’d better head in.” Callie rasped out.

“Me too.” Arizona agreed.

They both turned to walk in to the hospital. Arizona couldn’t help think about the brief moment that passed between them and what it meant.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arizona and April were eating lunch in Arizona’s office while Arizona recounted what had happened between her and Callie earlier.

“You almost what?” April asked incredulously.

“We almost kissed, but Callie pulled back before it could happen.”

“Are you sure?” April probed.

“Yes! I’ve kissed people before. I’ve kissed Callie before. I know what that moment was. I just don’t know what it means.” Arizona responded in frustration.

“Hmm.” April responded.

“Hmm what?” Arizona pressed.

“You may just get your wife back.” April answered with a smile.

“Why do you say that?” Arizona questioned in bewilderment.

“She’s seeing all the things you are doing for her and it’s obviously affecting her.” April explained.

“I’m not doing those things because of any ulterior motives. She needs help and I want to help her.” Arizona replied with a hint of anger.

“I’m not saying you have an ulterior motive. In fact, I don’t believe you do. She’s starting to see how much you care about her and it’s making her question things. I do think it’s interesting that you thought I would see what you are doing in the worst possible light.” April stated.

“It’s just…” Arizona trailed off.

“It’s just, you want her to forgive you but you have yet to forgive yourself. If she forgives you and you don’t forgive yourself, it’ll never work. You need to make peace with what happened.” April said with compassion.

“I hurt her so badly and I don’t know how to forgive myself for it.” Arizona confessed.

“Arizona it was a difficult time. It’s no excuse, you know that and you’ve dealt with the cost of what happened. You know you will never do anything like that again, because you don’t want to hurt Callie that way ever again. You can’t undo it, but you can take the lessons learned and move forward.” April pointed out.

“I just want to be with her and make her happy. I hope she’ll let me. She hasn’t said anything about our conversation that night she came back from Miami. It gives me hope. I think if she forgives me, I can forgive myself. I just need to hear it from her and see it in her eyes.”

April contemplated Arizona for a second.

“I hope you get everything you want.” April admitted softly.

With that April stood up, patted Arizona on the shoulder and headed back to work.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Arizona was nervous. This was the first day she was to spend with Carlos Torres and she was sure it was going to be uncomfortable. After all, she had hurt is daughter in the worst possible way. It was understandable if he had a little hostility.

She psyched herself up and then knocked. Callie quickly answered.

“Hey, right on time!” Callie said with a smile.

“Yup. Military upbringing and all.” Arizona responded quickly.

Callie gestured for her to enter. Arizona followed Callie into the living room and in her nervousness didn’t realize how close she was walking until Callie stopped and she ran into her. Arizona stumbled and started to fall. Callie quickly turned and caught her before she could hit the ground.

“Are you okay?” Callie asked searching her eyes for any sign of pain. She was still holding on to Arizona.

Arizona swallowed and nodded. They had another electric moment between them. Callie slowly leaned forward. Arizona closed her eyes waiting for the kiss.

“Mija, is Arizona here yet?” Carlos called out from the kitchen.

Callie pulled back abruptly and released Arizona.

“Yeah daddy, we’re in the living room. We’ll be right in.” Callie replied loud enough for him to hear.

“Callie…” Arizona needed to know what these moments meant between them.

“Um…don’t be nervous. He knows not to give you a hard time, because you will report back to me. Did you want me to leave Sofia here as well or take her to day care?” Callie questioned, evidently choosing to ignore the moment that had passed between them.

Arizona wanted to call her on it, but she could see the confusion clouding her eyes and was willing to let it go for now.

“Leave Sofia here. I’m here so she might as well not go to day care for the next few weeks. She can act as a buffer, if necessary.” Arizona answered.

“She won’t need to. You’ll be okay. Thank you again.” Callie said gently.

“Don’t keep thanking me. I want to help.” Arizona stated honestly.

Callie nodded and led her into the kitchen to see Carlos.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After Callie left, Arizona did her best to keep an eye on Carlos but also stay out of his way. He had been nice enough in the kitchen, but Arizona was worried that it was because Callie was there at the time.

She spent time playing with Sofia when she heard some noise from the kitchen. She left Sofia to her toys and went into the kitchen.

“I can make you something if you’re hungry.” Arizona offered.

“Thank you. I’d appreciate that Arizona.” Carlos stepped aside and let Arizona have access to the counter.

“I can call you when it’s ready.” She told him.

“No, I’ll stay here, keep you company.” Carlos responded as he sat down at the table.

“Okay.” Arizona accepted but he must have seen her back stiffen.

“Arizona, I’m not mad at you. You don’t have to avoid me. Do I wish you hadn’t hurt my daughter? Yes, but whatever happened with you and Callie is between you and her. I myself have made a similar mistake so it would make me very hypocritical if I judged you harshly. I want to thank you for being here and helping me. I know you’re doing it more for her, but I do appreciate it.” Carlos said delicately.

Arizona turned around to regard him.

“You’re not mad at me?” She inquired in confusion.

He shook his head.

“You two went through a lot. It would have broken any couple. You fought long and hard to stay together. Maybe you needed this time apart to see what you really want.”

“I don’t know if I agree. This time apart has made it more clear to me that I want to be with her, but I’m not sure that’s what she wants.” Arizona confessed.

“I can see you still love her. I know you want to help her because you care about her. Arizona, sometimes my daughter lets her hurt overrule her heart. It’s something she has to work through. I interceded before, during the trial, and that backfired. She needs to get there herself without someone imposing their thoughts and their will on her. When she comes back to you, you’ll know it’s completely her and not someone else encouraging her.” Carlos spoke compassionately.

Arizona’s eyes shone with tears.

“What if she never gets there?” She asked in despair.

“Arizona, when my daughter loves, she loves hard. She doesn’t fall out of love easily. She’ll get there. She’ll fight it for a little while, but she’ll get there.” Carlos responded confidently.

“I hope you’re right.” Arizona whispered.

“I am. You’ll see.” Carlos replied with a soft smile.

Arizona gave him a small smile back. She turned around and got back to making lunch for Carlos.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Callie had finished her shift and had just arrived back at home. When she entered the house, Arizona stood up to grab her things and leave.

“Hey, how’d it go?” Callie probed.

“Good. He was really nice to me and we had a good day.” Arizona answered honestly.

“That’s great.” Callie said in relief.

“So, I’ll just head out.” Arizona headed towards the door.

“Um…Arizona…do you want to stay for dinner?” Callie asked tentatively.

Arizona stopped in her tracks and turned around.

“Are you sure?” She inquired uncertainly.

Callie nodded.

“Okay, I’ll stay.” Arizona replied, placing her purse on the table by the door.

“Okay. Good. I’ll start making dinner. You can spend time with Sofia or whatever you want to do.” Callie directed.

“Actually, I’ll come help you.” Arizona stated.

“Okay.” Callie accepted and proceeded to the kitchen with Arizona following.

As they were making dinner, the close proximity was increasing the tension between them. They would grab items at the same time but miss and end up grabbing each other’s hands; they would get in each other’s way and try to laugh it off. It was driving Arizona crazy. She wanted to kiss Callie in the worst way. She was beginning to think staying for dinner was a bad idea.

Once dinner was prepared, Callie called Carlos and Sofia to the table.

Sofia dominated the conversation, with the adults joining in at intervals.

Once dinner was over, Arizona decided it was time to leave.

“I’m going to head home. I’m really tired.”

“Okay, I’ll walk you to the door.” Callie offered.

“Okay. Bye baby girl. Bye Carlos.” Arizona stooped down to kiss Sofia and then gave a small wave to Carlos.

She led the way to the door, with Callie following behind.

“I’m glad today went well. Just think you only have 3 weeks less a day left.” Callie said with a smile, trying to ease the tension.

“Yup.” Arizona was still edgy and filled with desire for the woman she was now looking at as she put her coat on.

Callie made the mistake of looking in Arizona’s eyes. Arizona knew her eyes had darkened with want and she knew Callie could see it. Callie’s eyes followed suit and Arizona could hold back no longer. She stepped forward and pulled Callie into a fiery kiss. She noted, Callie responded to the kiss with as much fervour. As quickly as it started, Callie pulled out of the kiss, and Arizona noted that same confusion from earlier residing in her eyes.

Arizona pulled open the door.

“Good night Callie.” She said softly.

“Good night.” Came the stunned response. Callie had been caught off guard by the kiss, but she wasn’t angry Arizona realized.  
Arizona stepped out of the house and shut the door behind her. She had no idea what Callie was going to do about the kiss when they saw each other next. She hoped she wouldn’t ignore it.

Arizona walked to her car, hoping for some progress with Callie when they saw each other the next day.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Arizona was furious. While she had hoped to have some sort of follow up with Callie after their kiss that had not happened.

It was five days after the kiss and every morning when she had reached the house, Callie had already left for work. The first couple of days Carlos had said she had been paged in but by the third, fourth, and fifth days he would just say she had gone in early.

When Callie came home after work, she would make sure she wasn’t alone with Arizona. Callie would ask her if she wanted to stay for dinner but Arizona refused. She didn’t want to stay if Callie didn’t really want her there.

She’d still walk Arizona to the door but she would make sure that Sofia was with them so Arizona couldn’t broach the subject.

Now it was five days later and Arizona was done. They were going to have this conversation even if Callie didn’t want to.

She had asked Carlos if he would be okay with Sofia for an hour or so. He took a look at her and realized what state of mind Arizona was in. He quickly assured her they would be fine and if they needed anything he would call her or Callie.

Now Arizona was stomping through the hospital heading to Callie’s office. She stopped short when she heard a couple of gossiping nurses and Callie’s name came up.

“Wonder what happened with Torres and Hahn.” A brunette said quietly.

“What do you mean?” Said the other nurse. She had red hair.

“You didn’t hear? Wow. So, Hahn and Torres had just finished a surgery when they were heading down this very hallway. Hahn asked Torres out, but Torres was hesitant to say anything. Hahn pulled her close and basically laid it on the line. Told Torres she wanted to be with her and start a relationship with her again. She said that they had a chance to build something with a clean slate for both of them.” Brunette nurse informed quickly.

“What did Torres say?” Red hair asked. Arizona leaned forward to hear the response.

“I don’t know. Torres looked around and then grabbed Hahn and pulled her into an on call room. Maybe she showed her answer rather than spoke her answer if you know what I mean.” Brunette replied with a laugh.

“Whoa, you think so?” Red hair inquired.

“Who knows? All I know is Torres deserves to be happy and if it’s with Hahn so be it.” Brunette stated with finality.

Red hair nodded her head in agreement.

Arizona felt the air leave her lungs. Is this why Callie hadn’t said anything? She thought. Had she picked Erica and just didn’t know how to tell Arizona? Arizona was now more determined than ever to get her answers.

She headed up to Callie’s floor and marched towards Callie’s office. She grabbed the door knob swung the door open, walked in, and then slammed the door shut.

Callie looked up, startled.

“Arizona…”

“Is that why you haven’t spoken to me? You picked Erica and you were too much of a coward to say something? I deserve a conversation. I don’t deserve to be led on!” Arizona yelled.

“Arizona calm down.” Callie tried to ease the tension.

“Calm down? I’ve been waiting patiently for you to talk to me and you’ve been avoiding me. You left me hanging. You could have told me you wanted to be with Erica. I would have been devastated but at least I’d have had an answer and I could have started to move on. Instead you just froze me out.” Arizona stated sadly. She turned around and grabbed the door knob, ready to leave.

“I didn’t pick Erica.” It was said so quietly Arizona could have missed it but she had heard it loud and clear.

“What? They said you two went into an on call room for a while.” Arizona still hadn’t turned back around but she needed to hear more.

“I didn’t pick Erica. I took her into an on call room because while she made a public declaration I couldn’t reject her publicly. It wouldn’t have been right. I told her that she and I could only be friends. She was sad but understanding. It’s hard to start a relationship when only one person wants to.” Callie explained gently.

Arizona closed her eyes as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

“Kind of like us.” Arizona said softly. She was ready to turn the knob and leave when Callie spoke.

“No, not like us.” Callie responded delicately.

Arizona was torn, she wanted to leave but she wanted to hear what Callie was going to say. Callie was waiting for her decision. Slowly Arizona turned around. She looked at Callie but then quickly looked down.

“I haven’t been fair to you. I should have made time to talk to you after our conversation the night you picked Sofia and me up from the airport. I let my other issues take precedence and to be honest I had no idea what I wanted to say to you.” Callie paused.

Arizona continued to stare at the ground.

“You letting me go would have been easier, yes, but…it wouldn’t have made me happy.” Callie admitted.

Arizona’s head shot up, suddenly riveted by what Callie was saying.

“The kiss made it clear for me; while no one has the power to hurt me like you can, the fact remains nobody has the ability to make me as happy as you can. For so long I’ve been trying to push you out of my heart, but you won’t leave. You live in there and you won’t let go. I can’t fight it anymore. My heart belongs to you and there is no room for anybody else. I love you Arizona and I want us to find a way to be together…for good.” Callie’s admission had left Arizona stunned.

She stood staring at Callie for a good minute and then she threw herself towards Callie, who quickly caught her. Arizona buried her head into Callie’s neck and just sobbed; all the tension and relief pouring out. She was getting another chance and the emotion was overwhelming. Callie held her and caressed her back soothingly.

“Let it out, I’ve got you.” Callie murmured into her hair.

Finally, Arizona was cried out but still clinging to Callie.

“Please, don’t ever try to push me out of your heart again.” Arizona said timidly into Callie’s neck.

“I don’t ever want to try to push you out again.” Callie confessed.

“I love you, Callie. My heart has always been yours. Don’t ever doubt that. I know we have a lot to talk about still, but I just want to hold you for a little while longer before we start figuring out how we want this to work. Is that okay?” Arizona questioned optimistically.

“It’s more than okay.” Callie agreed.

Arizona settled into the warmth Callie’s arms provided, genuinely hopeful about the direction of their relationship for the first time in a long time.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The next evening Arizona was wearing a hole in the carpet as she paced back and forth while she waited for Callie to arrive. April had made herself scarce, so Arizona and Callie would have time to themselves to figure out what comes next.

Arizona had made dinner and tidied up, but now she was nervous and had no idea what to do with herself till Callie arrived. She looked up at the clock and noted Callie should be there any minute. She finally decided to sit down and watch some TV in order to settle her nerves.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Arizona turned off the TV, stood up, straightened her clothes and headed to the door.

She opened the door and there stood an adorably nervous Callie, who was shifting from foot to foot.

“Hey.” Arizona greeted with a soft smile. She opened the door wider indicating with her head that Callie should come in.

“Hey.” Callie replied as she entered.

They stood there staring at each other for a couple of seconds, when Arizona stepped forward and hugged Callie. She pulled back slightly and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

She took Callie’s coat and then led her to the sofa. Callie sat in a chair by the sofa; Arizona sat on the sofa.

They sat staring at each other for a minute when Arizona finally broke the silence.

“I don’t know where to start.” She admitted sheepishly.

“Me neither.” Callie responded honestly.

“I need… to know one thing before… we decide how to go forward.” Arizona spoke haltingly.

Callie leaned forward and nodded her head signifying Arizona should continue.

“Have you forgiven me? It was the thing you couldn’t get passed not so long ago.” Arizona probed in trepidation.

“Honestly, I think if I ever think about it, it’s always going to hurt, but I’m not going to hold it against you and I’m not going to dwell on it. I think what happened during that storm cost you a lot and you know it. You’ve showed me lately that what you want is a life with me and Sofia. I believe you’re not going to cheat again Arizona. I wouldn’t be here right now if I still doubted you.” Callie stated sincerely.

Arizona looked at Callie and realized she meant every word she said.

“Thank you so much.” Arizona felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Arizona listen. If we are going to do this then we can’t hold on to resentments from the past. I forgive you and I hope you’ve forgiven me. We can’t let the anger from the past affect the future we want to build.” Callie said with resolve.

Arizona nodded her head in agreement.

“Now, I think we should take things slowly. For all intents and purposes, we are divorced. So, this is a new beginning. We start dating again and just go from there.” Callie proposed.

“You want to date?” Arizona asked uncertainly.

“Arizona, last time we just jumped right back into living together. We didn’t do anything to fix our problems and we ended up splitting. We need to do this properly this time. We can’t keep skipping steps. It’s not fair to us and it’s not fair to our daughter.” Callie explained.

“We’re just dating each other, right? Nobody else?” Arizona questioned. She didn’t want to date anyone else and she hoped Callie felt the same.

“Of course. There would be little point to this if we were seeing other people.” Callie responded.

“I just…” Arizona faded out unsure if she should continue.

“Arizona, if there is one thing I’ve learned from our relationship, it’s that we have to be open and honest with each other. We can’t hold back what we’re feeling because when that happens, it comes out in the worst ways. Please tell me what you’re thinking.” Callie pleaded.

Arizona looked up at Callie with sadness in her eyes.

“I really wanted to come home.” She confessed as a tear slid down her face.

Callie quickly scooted over to the sofa and pulled Arizona into her arms.

“I want that too. So much. I just think we need to do this right.” Callie murmured into Arizona’s hair.

“I love you Callie. If you want to take this slowly then let’s take this slowly.” Arizona said quietly.

“Don’t do this just for me. This has to be something we both agree with.” Callie countered.

“It’s just…we’ve been apart for so long and to come back together slowly seems so counterproductive.” Arizona replied dejectedly.

Callie reached out and slowly pulled Arizona’s face towards her so that they were looking at each other.

“I want forever with you Arizona. I don’t want to rush this because I don’t think this works if we avoid steps. We keep doing that and it never works. Don’t you agree?” Callie inquired gently.

Arizona stared at Callie for a moment before she nodded.

“I want forever too. I don’t want to cut corners any more. I want this to be the last time we get back together, because we’re never going to break up again.” Arizona replied passionately.

The breathtaking grin she received from Callie caused Arizona to lean in. She pressed her lips against Callie and pushed her down on to the sofa. She was completely caught off guard when Callie pulled back after a moment.

“Going slow also means no sex right now.” Callie said slowly.

Arizona looked at her in confusion when she looked down and noticed she had unbuttoned a few buttons on Callie’s shirt.

She stood up and helped Callie up.

“Good call.” Arizona responded unsteadily. Callie’s kisses would always have an effect on her.

Callie buttoned up her shirt and then looked at Arizona with a small smile.

“Maybe we should have some dinner now?” Callie suggested.

“Another good call.” Arizona gestured for Callie to follow her to the table.

Having got the hard stuff out of the way for now, they sat down to a lovely dinner unencumbered by the weight of figuring out what came next.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Arizona and Callie were lounging on the sofa. It was a couple of days after their conversation and Arizona had stayed for dinner. Carlos had retired to his room and Sofia was fast asleep in hers.

Arizona couldn’t help smiling as she thought back to dinner and Carlos’ smug grin when he would look at Arizona. She had to admit, he had been right about Callie. He knew his daughter well.

Callie had pulled out a bottle of wine and now they were sitting on the sofa chatting.

“More wine?” Callie inquired. She nodded.

Callie picked up the bottle and poured some in Arizona’s glass and then topped her glass off as well.

“Can I ask you a question? I don’t want to make it awkward though.” Callie asked.

“Sure.” Arizona agreed.

“Did you…did you date while we were apart?” Callie inquired haltingly.

Arizona gazed at her for a moment before shaking her head.

“Why not?” Callie probed.

“It just didn’t feel right. My heart wouldn’t have been in it. It wouldn’t have been fair to anybody I went out with when all I really wanted to do was be with you.” Arizona confessed.

“I wish I had figured that out before I started dating.” Callie acknowledged.

“Did…did…” Arizona wasn’t sure how to ask the question that was weighing on her mind.

“Go ahead and ask. No more holding things inside. Remember?” Callie prodded.

“Um…uh…when you were dating did you find anybody that you wanted to see more than once?” Arizona asked nervously. She dreaded the answer.

Callie weighed her answer.

“I went on a few first dates, but nothing clicked. Since I would usually realize that right away, I didn’t feel it was a good idea to go on a second date.” Callie admitted.

“Dating is hard enough and when you’re not all in it’ll never work out.” Arizona pointed out.

“It’s hard to be all in when your heart already completely belongs to someone else.” Callie stated as she stared at Arizona meaningfully.

Arizona’s heart sped up as she returned Callie’s look, then she nodded her agreement.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After their chat on the couch turned into a bit of a make out session, Arizona was getting ready to leave when a text message sounded on her cell phone.

She had just finished putting her coat on when she grabbed her phone to read the message. She grimaced after reading it.

“What’s wrong?” Callie asked, concerned.

“My…uh…my parents want to come for a visit.” Arizona divulged.

“Why is that bad?” Callie quizzed.

“Well, I haven’t told them about us being back together yet.” Arizona admitted sheepishly.

Callie looked at her for a moment.

“I haven’t had a chance to call them. I’ve been so busy, coming here while you’re at work and…” Arizona began to defend herself.

“Arizona, calm down. I’m not mad. We just got back together. I completely understand you haven’t had a chance to call them. Really, it’s okay.” Callie soothed.

“I’m going to tell them as soon as I talk to them. I promise.” Arizona stated.

Callie pulled her in for a hug.

“I believe you. I’m not pressuring you. If you want to wait to tell them while they are here, that’s fine too. It’s your call.” Callie replied.

Arizona pulled out of the hug and regarded Callie.

“I love you.” She said softly.

“I love you too.” Callie responded.

Arizona pulled Callie in for a breathtaking kiss.

“I should go now or I’m not going to want to leave.” Arizona said after the kiss.

“I’m going to miss you.” Callie admitted.

“Me too.” Arizona leaned in for one last peck and then headed out the door.

Callie watched as she entered her car and drove off.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When Arizona arrived back at the apartment, April was there watching TV in the living room.

“Hey, how was your day?” April asked.

“I want to have sex with Callie.” Arizona blurted out and then covered her mouth in shock.

“Oooookay. That doesn’t really answer my question, but thanks for the info.” April replied uncomfortably, her eyes wide.

“I know we just got back together, but I really want to connect with her physically as well.” Arizona admitted.

“I’m not the one you should be telling.” April pointed out helpfully.

“I know, but I don’t want to pressure her.” Arizona acknowledged.

“Arizona, tell her. She might not want to pressure you either. Just tell her. What’s the worst that could happen? She says she wants to wait. That’s not the end of the world.” April advised.

Arizona nodded at the truth in April’s words.

“So….” Arizona started.

“Yes?” April encouraged.

“My parents want to come for a visit.” Arizona informed.

“That’s nice.” April said warmly.

“I haven’t told them about Callie and me yet. I’m not sure how they are going to take it.” Arizona confessed.

“You think they aren’t going to be happy?” April probed.

“I don’t know. They were devastated when I told them Callie and I had split up. I don’t want them to give her a hard time. We just got back together and I don’t want them to make things tough on her.” Arizona explained.

“They might surprise you. At any rate, you’re not going to know until you tell them. It’s also not fair to her to hide it from them.” April replied honestly.

“I know. I was going to tell them when I called them, but I think I’ll wait until they’re here. I want to tell them in person.” Arizona decided.

“Sounds like a good idea. It’s your life Arizona and you want Callie in it. If they have a problem with it, that’s all you have to tell them.” April said.

“You’re right. Thanks for the advice.” Arizona responded gratefully.

Arizona stood up and headed to her bedroom. She was exhausted and ready for sleep. She decided she would call her parents when she woke up. She sent off a quick text informing them that she would call them in the morning to make plans.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

A couple of weeks had passed since Arizona’s parents had asked to come for a visit. They were due to arrive any minute. She had wanted to invite them to stay with her but since the apartment had only two rooms, there would be no room for all of them.

Arizona and her parents were going to catch up for a couple of hours and then Callie was going to join them for lunch. She was still trying to decide how to bring up the reunion.

There was a knock at the door and Arizona quickly went to answer it.

“Mom! Dad!” Arizona exclaimed as she opened the door to them. They entered and she quickly pulled them in for hugs.

“Arizona! You look so good!” Barbara Robbins said excitedly as she disengaged from the hug.

“We missed you so much.” Daniel Robbins stated with a great deal of affection.

Arizona motioned for them to join her in the living room. She quickly grabbed some snacks and some drinks from the kitchen and went back to the living room.

“So, what’s new with you honey?” Her mom prodded.

“Well, I just finished three weeks of vacation and now I’m back at work. I would have come to see you during that time but I was actually busy with something.” Arizona replied vaguely.

“Something?” Her dad probed.

Just rip it off like Band-Aid, Arizona thought.

“I was helping out the person I’m seeing with something.” Arizona mumbled.

“You’re dating someone? Who is it? What’s she like?” Barbara questioned excitedly.

“It’s…it’s…I’m dating Callie.” She murmured quickly.

“What was that dear?” Barbara inquired.

“I’m dating Callie.” She repeated louder.

Arizona’s dad sat back heavily in his chair and her mom’s eyebrows rose into her hairline.

“You’re dating your ex-wife.” Daniel stated matter-of-factly. Arizona could tell he was not happy with this news.

“Yes.” Arizona responded.

“Is that really a good idea?” The question was asked with an edge and surprisingly came from Barbara.

Arizona considered both of her parents before answering.

“I know you might have some concerns, but Callie and I didn’t come to this decision lightly. I love her and she loves me and we’re taking it slow. We want to do it right this time because this is it. No more back and forth. No more breaking up and reuniting. I’m happy about this and I hope you can be happy for us. Let me be clear, nothing you say will make me change my mind. I love you both very much, but I’m in love with Callie and intend to build a life with her. Now, she will be joining us for lunch and I expect you to treat her well.” Arizona stated firmly.

Daniel just shook his head and looked away.

Barbara opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it and just gave a slight nod.

Arizona glanced at both of them and realized this was going to be a long day, especially once Callie arrived.

As they waited for Callie to arrive, the rest of the time was spent making small talk; her parents still trying to come to terms with her revelation.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
A couple of hours later, a knock at the door signified Callie’s arrival. Arizona shot a warning look at her parents and went to open the door.

“Hey. Come in.” She said warmly as soon as she saw Callie.

“Hey.”

Callie entered and quickly engulfed Arizona in a hug, which Arizona happily returned. Callie planted a chaste kiss on Arizona’s lips. She pulled off her coat and hung it in the closet by the door. After that, she nervously followed Arizona into the living room.

Daniel and Barbara stood up as Callie entered. Callie shot them each a warm smile but Daniel gave her a curt nod and Barbara gave her a tight smile.

Arizona could tell as Callie hesitated a bit, that Callie realized this was not going to be a fun get together.

Arizona indicated a chair for Callie to sit in while she reclaimed her own seat.

“Callie, how have you been?” Barbara asked stiffly.

“Okay. My dad had a health scare, but he seems to be doing okay. He’s staying with me right now and Arizona has been a great help.” Callie said sincerely.

“I’m glad your father is doing well.” Barbara remarked.

“Thank you.”

“So, Arizona tells us you two are dating again.” Daniel jumped in without preamble.

Arizona turned to look at him.

“Yes.” Callie replied succinctly.

“Why?” Daniel asked bluntly.

Callie’s eyes widened.

“Dad!” Arizona reprimanded. She looked to her mother for help, but she was sitting back in her chair waiting for an answer.

“I realize you look at me and see the person who hurt your daughter, but let’s be clear on one thing. We hurt each other. Neither one of us is blameless in where we are right now. We are back together and we are on the same page. We are covering all our bases now because it wouldn’t be fair to Sofia, in particular, to continue with the on and off. I love Arizona with all my heart. That has never changed, but we needed the time apart to decide for ourselves what we really and truly wanted going forward. I don’t regret splitting because where we were before was untenable. I look at her now and I’m sure this is going to be for good, but again we aren’t going to jump into things too quickly. Now, I respect both of you. I love you both, but I’m here because Arizona asked me to be here and I hope you will keep an open mind. If not, I can leave now and see Arizona later. I don’t want to ruin the time you are spending together.” Callie answered with conviction.

“Maybe you should.” Daniel shot out unmoved.

“Dad! With all due respect, that is not your call to make.” Arizona responded with anger.

“Arizona…” Callie began.

“No! You are coming for lunch or there will be no lunch. You two can go back to your hotel. You don’t get to disrespect Callie because she had the courage to end something that wasn’t working.“ Arizona was fighting back tears.

Arizona turned to Callie.

“You were right to walk out of that last therapy session. I know it’s taken me awhile to come around, but I realize now, I wasn’t happy and neither were you. We weren’t giving each other the things we needed. I knew you weren’t happy, but I couldn’t bring myself to do what was right. I knew you needed one heartfelt moment from me, but I was still so angry about the leg. Then I found out what you did and I realized how much time I had wasted being angry at you, but so much time had passed and I didn’t know how to fix it and I didn’t know if you wanted to.” Arizona paused.

“You know what she did? She let me blame her for taking my leg when all along it had been Alex who made the cut. She did it because she wanted me to have someone to turn to even if it wasn’t her. She knew I was going to be angry at her regardless so she wanted to make sure I wasn’t angry at Alex. She loved me so much she put my happiness ahead of her own. She didn’t want me to be alone. That’s the person she is and that’s the person you want out of my life.”

There was silence after Arizona concluded. Her mother and father digesting what she had just told them. Callie was wiping tears from her eyes.

Barbara stood up and walked to Callie’s chair. She tugged her into standing position and enveloped Callie in a tight hug. Callie buried her head in Barbara’s neck and broke out in sobs. Arizona wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched the interaction. Slowly, Callie’s sobs subsided and she drew out of the hug. Barbara whispered something in Callie’s ear and then kissed her on the cheek.

Daniel stood and went to Callie. He bent down so he was eye to eye with her and then spoke.

“Thank you.” He said simply and then hugged her as well. He pulled away and then headed back to his seat.

Everyone was quiet for a moment and then Arizona broke the silence.

“I don’t know about you, but that worked up my appetite. Let’s go for lunch.” She said lightly, cutting the heaviness in the room.

The others quickly agreed. They all gathered their belongings and headed out the door.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Arizona was back at work the next day. The lunch with her parents had gone well once all the drama was done.

Her parents really did love Callie and managed to let go of their anger at her for ending the relationship once they realized how much Arizona and Callie truly loved each other.

Today she was happily headed to the cafeteria hoping to see Callie in there. It had been a busy morning and she wanted to catch a quick lunch with her lady.

As she reached the cafeteria she stopped dead in her tracks. She could see Callie, but she could also see Callie’s lunch companion. Erica freaking Hahn. Something Callie had said had made Erica laugh and she put her hand on Callie’s arm. It looked like flirting and it didn’t seem like Callie was discouraging it.

Arizona quickly made her way to the lunch counter and picked up some food. She turned around and Callie signalled her over to the table. Arizona shook her head and pointed to a table where Alex was sitting with Maggie and Meredith. Callie looked disappointed but nodded.

Arizona quickly headed to the table and sat down by Alex.

“Hey. Why aren’t you sitting with Callie?” Alex asked between bites.

“She’s sitting with Erica.” Arizona mumbled.

“So?” Alex probed.

“Maybe they prefer to be alone.” Arizona scowled.

“Are you jealous? Dude, they’re friends. Get over it.” Alex sneered.

“That’s easy for you to say. Not so long ago that woman was trying to get with Callie!” Arizona snapped.

“But she didn’t. Callie’s with you now. When she was single she didn’t want to date Erica, so now that you’re back together why would Erica be a threat?” Alex inquired sensibly.

“I just don’t like it, okay?” Arizona growled.

“Yup…jealous.” Alex muttered.

Just then a tray was set down by Arizona and Callie took a seat next to her.

“Hey.” Callie greeted.

A round of greetings were sent back to her.

“Why didn’t you sit with Erica and me? I know it might have been awkward to begin with but I was hoping you two might be able to see if you could get along.” Callie prodded.

“I know you called me over but I wasn’t actually sure you wanted me to sit with you and your other girlfriend.” Arizona blurted. Her eyes widened. She quickly looked around the table and noticed the others had the same reaction.

She slowly turned to Callie and her heart plummeted. She saw hurt, embarrassment, and anger warring on Callie’s face. Finally it settled on anger.

Callie stood up, grabbed her tray and stomped towards the exit. She tossed out the remainder of her lunch and threw the tray on top of some other dirty trays. She didn’t look back once as she exited the cafeteria.

Arizona felt horrible and when all the other eyes at the table turned to look at her she felt even worse. It was Meredith who broke the silence.

“Good job.” She sniped.

Arizona sat back trying to figure out what she should do or say to Callie when she saw her again.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arizona decided she needed to talk to Callie after lunch. She didn’t want the anger to fester for too long and they needed to discuss what happened.

As she neared Callie’s office door, it opened and out walked Callie. She quickly caught sight of Arizona and the stormy look returned. Yup, still angry, Arizona thought.

“Callie, I was hoping we could talk.” Arizona said softly.

“Should I call the others so you can embarrass me again?” Callie snarked.

“Callie, please let’s talk.” Arizona pleaded.

“I have surgery right now. I don’t have time to talk.” Callie stated.

Arizona put her hand on Callie’s arm to stop her. She was worried. They had just reunited; she didn’t want to lose her again.

“We’ll talk after my surgery.” Callie indicated quietly.

Arizona nodded and let Callie go.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arizona had been going stir crazy. She had a quiet afternoon and she kept taking trips around Callie’s floor to see if she was back in her office. She thought about going to the gallery of the OR to see if Callie was still operating but she wanted to give her some space as well. She was clearly still angry.

Finally she saw Callie trudging back to her office and Arizona quickly followed. She grabbed a hold of the door before Callie could close it which caught Callie by surprise.

She looked up with wide eyes and let out a wary sigh when she saw it was Arizona. She opened the door wider to let Arizona in.

Arizona entered and Callie shut the door.

“I need to say something and I need you to listen.” Arizona remarked.

Callie gestured for her to continue.

“I’m going to make mistakes and you’re going to make mistakes. I need to know you aren’t going to end it when I make these mistakes. I promise you, I won’t when you make yours. I just need to know we’re going to work through these things and not let go again.” Arizona implored.

“Arizona…I wasn’t going to end it. Am I mad? Yes. Am I hurt? Yes. Was I embarrassed? Yes. But when we decided to make it work, I meant it. You need to trust that. You also need to trust that I don’t want anything to do with Erica beyond friendship and she knows that and has accepted that. If you can’t trust that, then we have a problem.” Callie replied bluntly.

“She was flirting with you!” Arizona exclaimed.

“No she wasn’t. We were talking about a date she had gone on. She’s moving on and she happens to really like this new lady.” Callie explained.

“She touched you.” Arizona stated petulantly.

“She put her hand on my arm. If that’s a pass, I’m going to have to apologize to a few people. I need you to know something. I don’t want this to sound harsh, but she and I are friends and as much as I love you, I’m not ending friendships for you. Just like I wouldn’t expect you to for me.” Callie responded matter-of-factly.

Arizona looked at Callie in shock.

“I…I…I didn’t ask you to.” Arizona stammered.

“This reaction indicates to me you want Erica out of my life. Arizona, I’ve lost so many friends and I don’t want to lose anymore. I wanted the three of us to have lunch so you could start feeling a little more comfortable with her, but if that’s too much I get it. But that’s your decision.” Callie was resolute.

This conversation was not going the way Arizona had thought it would. She stared at Callie for a moment.

“I don’t want you to lose any more friends. I’ll try harder. I promise. I’m sorry for embarrassing you.” Arizona said genuinely.

Callie came around the desk and stood in front of Arizona.

“It’s okay. Erica is a sore subject, I understand. I know it’s going to take some time, but all I ask is you try. Also, Arizona, while Erica is my friend, you are my heart. Never forget that.” Callie said as she drew Arizona into her arms.

Arizona looked into Callie’s eyes, she leaned in and kissed Callie deeply.

“I love you.” Arizona said when she pulled back.

“I love you too.” Callie responded gently.

Arizona quickly pulled Callie in for another hug, glad that they had worked through their first major speed bump since they reunited.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The next day, Arizona was quickly rushing to change. She had to meet her parents for dinner at a restaurant nearby. Callie wouldn’t be joining them as she was working late.

She heard the door to the locker room open but paid no mind to it until she heard a throat clear. She looked up quickly and saw Erica standing there.

“Hey.” She said after a brief pause.

“Hey.” Erica replied as she stood staring at Arizona.

“Is there something you needed?” Arizona asked uncomfortably.

“Um…well…you have nothing to worry about with regards to Callie. I’m not chasing her anymore. She made it abundantly clear that all she could offer was friendship and I’m more than willing to accept that. I don’t make friends easily and she is a great one.” Erica said quickly.

Arizona stared at her for a moment, realizing the woman was being completely sincere. She also realized Callie had probably asked Erica to put Arizona’s mind at ease.

“Okay. Thank you for telling me that.” Arizona responded softly.

Erica nodded and left.

Arizona wanted to ponder what just happened but she had to go so she quickly finished changing, grabbed her purse and left.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arizona was eating dinner with her parents and having a pleasant time when questions inevitably turned to her and Callie.

“So, how are things going with you two?” Barbara asked delicately.

“Slowly.” Arizona blurted out. She still hadn’t spoken to Callie about resuming the physical aspect of their relationship.

Her mom gave her a knowing look and started to smile. Her dad followed suit.

“I see. Whose decision was that?” Her mom inquired with a grin.

“We both agreed to take it slowly.” Arizona muttered in embarrassment.

“But you’re over that now.” Her mom pointed out.

“God yes!” She exclaimed. Then she looked at her parents and started blushing furiously.

“Can we talk about something else?” She mumbled.

“Sure, aside from the slow pace, how is everything going?” Her dad prodded.

“It’s actually going really well. We are talking things through and not letting it sit. We do make mistakes but we are actually doing the work. It feels really good.” Arizona gushed.

“I’m glad. Callie and Sofia are your happiness and I’m happy that you’re working towards a better place.” Her dad observed.

“Have you two discussed the future at all? Getting married again?” Her mom questioned.

“Right now, we’re just enjoying spending time together without the pressure of expectations. Don’t get me wrong. The end goal is to be together for good, but there are still some hiccups that we are dealing with and it’s important to get those squared away before jumping back into a marriage.” Arizona explained.

“It sounds like you two have a good grasp of what you’re doing this time. You’ve learned a lot from the past and that’s important.” Her mom said sincerely.

“We have, we really have.” Arizona responded softly.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arizona had headed back to the hospital after dinner with her parents. She wanted to see Callie. She hadn’t seen her all day and missed her immensely.

She reached Callie’s office, the door was open and a muted light was shining through the door.

“Hey.” Arizona said softly as she looked into the office and saw Callie at her desk.

Callie looked up and smiled warmly.

“Hey. How was dinner?” Callie inquired.

“Good, good… Callie?”

“Yes?” Callie prodded.

“Did you ask Erica to talk to me?” Arizona questioned.

“I did. Arizona, part of the reason we fell apart before was because, although we loved each other immensely, we were always insecure about something taking that love away. I asked Erica to tell you herself that we are friends, because I don’t want you to feel insecure about my love for you. I’m all in this Arizona.”

“I am too.” Arizona whispered.

Callie nodded with a soft smile.

“Callie…um…I’m ready.” Arizona said softly.

Callie regarded Arizona for a moment and then nodded.

“So am I.” She replied gently.

Arizona sighed happily. She proceeded over to Callie sat down in her lap and kissed her thoroughly.

Callie pulled back quickly.

“We’re not doing it in my office. Let me grab my things and we can head out.” Callie instructed.

Arizona nodded.

“So, can we go to your apartment? I don’t think my dad or Sofia need to hear…you know.” Callie murmured.

“Yes we can. April and Jackson seem to be trying to work things out so she’s staying with him tonight.” Arizona indicated.

“Let’s go.” Callie replied as she grabbed Arizona’s hand and led her out of the office.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Once they reached Arizona’s apartment, awkwardness settled in.

They were sitting on Arizona’s sofa studiously trying to avoid looking at each other.

Finally Callie broke the silence.

“This is silly. We’re making this too difficult. We don’t even have to do anything, we can just talk.”

“No!” Arizona exclaimed.

“No?” Callie questioned.

“I want to do something.” Arizona grumbled in embarrassment.

Callie burst out in laughter. Arizona looked at Callie and the happiness she saw took her breath away.

She leaned into Callie’s space and abruptly Callie’s laughter stopped.

Arizona took the opportunity to draw Callie into a searing kiss.

Callie pulled away when breathing became difficult. She rested her forehead against Arizona’s.

“Bedroom.” Callie murmured.

Arizona grabbed Callie’s hand and they proceeded to the bedroom.

They spent the better part of the night reacquainting themselves with each other’s bodies.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Arizona stirred first. She slowly opened her eyes and turned to see Callie slumbering.

The night before had been amazing. It had felt great to connect with Callie without having so many different issues hanging over their heads.

As she watched Callie sleep she realized she wanted to wake up like this every day.

She gently caressed Callie’s cheek as she slept. Callie scrunched her nose adorably but continued to sleep.

Arizona knew they had agreed to take things slowly and they hadn’t been back together that long, but she wanted to move back home. She wanted to be able to wake up to this sight every morning.

They could do that without skipping steps, couldn’t they? They could live together and continue to work on their relationship. Wasn’t that possible?

She understood the reason for not jumping into things too fast, but they had been apart for so long. She had no intention of losing Callie again.

She decided she had to speak to Callie later and let her know how she felt. They had agreed to talk about things that mattered and she resolved to do that.

As Callie slowly started to wake, Arizona pushed the thought out of her head. She covered Callie’s body with her own and started kissing Callie’s neck. Callie moaned and then spoke.

“What time do you have to head in to work?” She mumbled.

“We have plenty of time.” Arizona responded and quickly went back to what she was doing.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After their encounter in the morning, Arizona had quickly gotten ready and went to work. Callie had gone home to change and spend a little time with Sofia and Carlos. Her shift started a couple of hours after Arizona’s.

It was now around noon and Arizona was exhausted after a busy morning. She had decided to look for Callie and see if she wanted to join her for a quick bite in the cafeteria.

As she was heading down a hallway, she noticed Callie and Meredith entering the Attending’s Lounge. She was about to follow them in when she heard them talking. Eavesdropping was not a good idea but she couldn’t help herself.

“So, how are things going with you and Arizona?” Meredith asked.

“Really good. We’re better than we were before, if you can believe that. We’ve actually talked issues through. It’s been great.” Callie gushed.

“Are you two thinking about moving back in together any time soon? Maybe getting married again?” Meredith quizzed.

“Whoa. We just got back together. We aren’t even close to being ready to live together, much less get married.” Callie replied, putting the brakes on Meredith’s line of questioning.

Arizona’s throat closed and tears filled her eyes.

“Don’t get me wrong, that’s the end result we’re working towards but we agreed to take it slowly and that’s what we’re doing.” Callie explained further.

“Well, I’m glad it’s working.” Meredith replied.

At that Arizona, quickly rushed back to her office. She didn’t want anybody to see her tears.

She had nothing scheduled for the rest of the afternoon so she decided to stay in her office. She didn’t want to talk to Callie until she had a chance to calm down. She didn’t want to say anything that might hurt Callie. She had every right to her feelings and it wasn’t Arizona’s place to make her feel bad about them.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After a couple of hours Arizona heard a knock on her door.

“Come in.” She said towards the door.

Callie poked her head in and sent her a wide smile.

“Hey pretty lady.” Callie said softly.

“Hey.” Arizona responded with a small smile.

Callie entered the office and placed some food on Arizona’s desk.

“I looked for you at lunch, but you weren’t in the cafeteria. It seems like you’ve locked yourself in your office for the day. I didn’t want you to go hungry so I bought you something to eat.” Callie explained lovingly.

Arizona’s heart nearly burst from the emotion she was feeling.

“Thank you Callie.” Arizona responded genuinely.

Arizona started eating while Callie sat down on the sofa.

“Callie?”

“Hmm?”

“I heard you and Meredith talking in the Attending’s Lounge earlier.” Arizona confessed quietly.

“Arizona…” Callie began.

“Just hear me out. I know you said you’re not ready to move in together again and want to go slowly. I just need you to know, I want to move back home. I want to be with my family again. We can still work on our relationship while living together. I don’t believe us living together means we’re skipping steps Callie. The only way we skip steps is by not talking about our problems or issues and we’re doing that now.” Arizona stated with determination.

Callie was quiet for a moment. She looked at Arizona and then looked away. She mumbled something that Arizona didn’t quite hear.

“I didn’t hear that.” Arizona said.

“I’m scared.” Callie whispered.

Arizona sat stunned.

“What are you scared about?” Arizona probed delicately.

Callie didn’t say anything for so long, Arizona was concerned she might not answer, but then she spoke.

“I’m scared we’ll be living together and one day you’ll wake up and realize that it isn’t what you wanted. That I’m not what you want anymore.” Callie replied, tears forming in her eyes.

Arizona looked at Callie in shock. She had realized that Callie had been working on making sure her insecurities were taken care of, but she hadn’t realized that Callie’s had not been addressed. Arizona wasn’t even sure Callie realized until this moment the real reason she was scared to move back in together.

Arizona stood up and sat down beside Callie. She turned Callie’s head towards her and then she responded.

“There is not a moment since I met you that I haven’t wanted to be with you. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and they have led you to feel that I didn’t want you, but those things I did? They were mistakes. They were me letting myself forget how much you meant to me and the things I love about you. The minute you walked out of that therapy session, I missed you, but I wasn’t in any position to do anything about it. I thought you were done with me. I thought you didn’t love me anymore. I hadn’t completely let go of my resentment.” Arizona paused, collecting her thoughts.

“But I began working on myself. I found ways to be happy on my own. The only thing is Callie…I couldn’t bring myself to start dating. Nobody fits me the way you do. Nobody can love me like you do. I can’t love anybody the way I do you. You are so wholly a part of me that I felt like trying to erase you from my heart would break me completely. I need you to understand, I’ve known for a long time that you are what I want. You are what my heart wants and nothing is going to change that. I’m not running from that. I’ve learned the hard way what it feels like to lose you and I don’t intend on that ever happening again. You don’t have to be scared that I’m going to wake up one day and decide you are not what I want, because it didn’t happen in the time we were apart and now that we are together, all I want to do is wake up with you because you are who I want. You are who I love. You, Callie Torres, are it for me. You are my past, you are my present, and you are my future.”

Tears slid down Callie’s cheeks and Arizona tried to wipe them away.

“Thank you so much.” Callie said softly.

She leaned in to kiss Arizona.

“You need to know something too Arizona. I may have walked out of that therapy session without you, but my heart stayed in there. I never want you to think I don’t love you or stopped loving you. It’s not true. You are the love of my life.” Callie admitted.

“I love you.” Arizona replied and then drew Callie into a gentle, loving kiss.

Callie pulled away.

“Okay.” She responded.

“Okay?” Arizona inquired in confusion.

“It’s time for you to come home.” Callie stated genuinely.

Arizona’s eyes widened.

“You mean it?” She asked in excitement.

Callie nodded.

Arizona pulled Callie into another kiss. This one was far more scorching than the one before.

She was thrilled. She was getting her family back.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Arizona’s move back home had occurred a month after her conversation with Callie. The reason for the delay had to do with some logistics regarding her apartment with April and finalizing details.

When they told Carlos about Arizona returning home he had been excited. While he had decided to stay in Seattle, he felt he should move out and leave Callie and Arizona to build their relationship without him there.

Both Callie and Arizona had tried to convince him to stay, but he was resolute. Callie had been concerned, but he pointed out he was doing fine health wise. She relented once he agreed to move into a condo close to their house.   
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arizona had been home for a couple of weeks and things were a little awkward between her and Callie. They were treating each other with kid gloves. They were trying to be careful not to do anything that would upset the other.

Arizona was pondering how to discuss the subject with Callie when she heard Callie return home from a quick trip to the store.

“I’m home! Somebody want to help me with the bags?” Callie called out.

“Be right there!” Arizona responded as she exited the bedroom.

She found Callie in the kitchen. She gave her a quick peck on the lips, grabbed a bag and helped put the groceries away.

“Where’s Sofia?” Callie asked.

“Napping.” Arizona responded.

“Still?” Callie inquired.

“Did you want me to go wake her up?” Arizona questioned.

“It’s just…nevermind.” Callie murmured.

Arizona’s shoulders slumped. Callie had been about to explain herself, but stopped for fear of offending Arizona.

“Callie…I’ll go wake her up. If she keeps sleeping she won’t go to bed at night.” Arizona mumbled as she headed out of the kitchen.

“Arizona?”

“Yes?” Arizona stopped just before she left the room.

“Um…thanks.” Callie replied. She looked down and went back to putting the last bag of groceries away.

Arizona stared at her for a moment before proceeding to Sofia’s room. They had to move past this awkwardness, she just didn’t know how. She didn’t want to upset Callie either.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Dinner had been more of the same. After dinner, Arizona quickly retreated to the bedroom after putting Sofia to bed while Callie stayed back to clean up the kitchen.

Arizona had been reading a book when Callie entered the room and regarded her with a speculative look.

“Arizona what are we doing here?” Callie asked after finishing her observation.

Arizona put her book down.

“What do you mean?” Arizona inquired gently.

“What we’re doing is not working. Living together should feel amazing and this doesn’t.” Callie stated honestly.

Arizona felt tears pool in her eyes and she knew she had a wounded look on her face. She didn’t want to leave again.

“Oh Arizona, that doesn’t mean I want you to go or I think this was a mistake.” Callie quickly sat down beside Arizona and grabbed her hand.

“It’s just…we’re walking on eggshells with each other. We’re behaving like we were before we broke up.” Callie reached out and caressed Arizona’s cheek.

“I love you so much and I don’t want you to feel you have to stifle yourself in order to make sure you don’t hurt my feelings. I love seeing the glint in your eyes when you’re happy and because we’re trying not to rock the boat, it’s not there. You can’t tell me you like seeing me doing the same.”

“I hate it.” Arizona admitted.

“We’re in this together right?” Callie probed.

Arizona nodded.

“So let’s do this right. You be honest with me and I’ll be honest with you. Yeah?” Callie inquired softly.

“Yes.” Arizona whispered. She leaned in and kissed Callie. She pushed Callie down on the bed and climbed on top.

“In the interest of honesty, I should tell you something I’ve wanted to for a long time.” Arizona informed Callie.

“What’s that?” Callie husked out as Arizona kissed her neck.

“I really hate that vase in the living room.” Arizona deadpanned.

Callie playfully glared at her.

“Idiot.” She said affectionately. She quickly rolled on top of Arizona and they got lost in exploring each other.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The idea planted itself in Arizona’s head one night as she watched Callie read a bedtime story to Sofia. She smiled as Callie made Sofia giggle with the silly voices she made up for each character.

Once they had retreated to their bedroom, Arizona had given voice to her thoughts. What she hadn’t anticipated was Callie’s reaction.

“I want to have another baby with you.” Arizona said softly as she watched Callie get ready for bed.

She noticed Callie’s back stiffen. Arizona frowned.

“Um…well…we can certainly talk about it.” Callie responded noncommittally.

“You don’t want another baby?” Arizona pressed.

Callie was silent for a moment. She still hadn’t turned around. Arizona wished she could see her face.

“Since we got back together, I haven’t really thought about it. I’ve just been focussing on what we have right now.” Callie replied without answering the question.

“That doesn’t answer the question Callie. Do you want a baby or not?” Arizona pushed.

“Arizona…”

“Yes or no.” Arizona stated tersely.

Callie finally turned around.

“I don’t know.” She admitted.

Arizona was crestfallen. She hadn’t anticipated that Callie might not want to expand their family. She wanted to ask why; she had wanted to talk about it, but the hurt part of her didn’t want to hear any explanation from Callie at that moment.

“Fine.” Arizona turned her back on Callie and closed her eyes.

“Ariz…”

“Go to sleep Callie.” Arizona snapped.

She heard Callie breathe out a sigh. Callie finished changing and climbed into bed.

“I love you Arizona. We’ll talk about this when you’re ready.” Callie leaned in and pressed a kiss to her shoulder before settling back into her spot on the bed.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
A couple of days later and they still hadn’t had the discussion.

In fact, Arizona had been pretty much giving Callie the silent treatment. She couldn’t seem to move past the hurt.

Sofia was sleeping over at Zola’s so it was just her and Callie at home.

Callie had tried approaching Arizona a few times during the last couple of days but Arizona kept rebuffing her so Callie had stopped engaging.

Arizona could hear Callie moving around in the kitchen. It sounded like lunch was on.

She heard Callie finish up cooking lunch and then it sounded like she had taken her plate into the study to work. Arizona went into the kitchen to grab a plate for herself and then sat down at the table.

The quiet was getting oppressive. She needed to get over herself and talk to Callie so they could figure this out.

She finished up her lunch and went to the study. She knocked on the door waiting for a response.

“Yes?”

“Can I come in?” She asked Callie through the door.

“Are you sure you want to?” Callie snarked.

“Callie…please?” Arizona pleaded.

“Fine. Come in.” Callie relented.

Arizona opened the door. She entered the office and sat in the chair on the other side of the desk.

Callie raised her eyebrows at her.

“We need to figure this out.” Arizona stated gently.

“I tried, but as I recall, it didn’t matter.” Callie replied with a hint of anger.

“I’m sorry.” Arizona said quietly.

Callie’s anger deflated with Arizona’s apology.

“So now we talk. Regardless what happens, Arizona, we can’t walk away. We can’t shut down. We have to work through this…okay?”

Arizona nodded.

“Why don’t you want to have another baby?” Arizona questioned without preamble.

“I didn’t say I don’t want one, I said I don’t know.” Callie replied.

“Callie. Why?” Arizona probed.

“Arizona…the last time we talked about having a baby, we broke up instead. Also, my reasons for wanting a baby at that time weren’t the right reasons.” Callie confessed.

“What do you mean?”

“I wanted something to be good about our relationship. I knew it wasn’t good the way it was so I thought a new baby might help with that. That’s not the best environment to bring a new baby into. It’s not the best reason either.” Callie explained.

“Do…do you still feel that way?” Arizona asked hesitantly.

Callie shook her head.

“You should know, before we got back together, I thought about going the surrogacy route myself.” Callie revealed.

Arizona was shocked.

“So you do want another baby…you just don’t want one with me.”

“No…Arizona no. When we broke up, I took some time before getting back into the dating scene. But once I did, I was finding I wasn’t clicking with anyone. I started to think maybe I had to settle on being on my own. Then I realized I still wanted a baby. I’m not getting younger so I realized I could do it on my own. It never got beyond that though, because I was just too busy. I knew I had to cut down my workload if I wanted to have another baby, especially on my own. I just never had a chance to.”

“But you said you didn’t know. If you knew when we were apart that you wanted a baby and now that we’re back together you’re not sure, clearly you’re not sure about me.” Arizona knew her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

“I am sure about you. I watch you with our daughter and I couldn’t imagine a better parent for her. I’m scared. What if we’re putting too much pressure on ourselves? What if adding to our family pushes us apart do to that pressure?” Callie admitted her fears.

Arizona stood up and went around to Callie’s side of the desk. She sat down in Callie’s lap and rested her head against Callie’s.

“We can’t be ruled by fear Callie. When I see you with Sofia, all I can think about is another mini you running around here, chasing after his or her big sister. We are good right now. Sure we argue. It’s you and me…we always will. But rather than ignoring our problems we’re facing them head on. Callie another baby will just bring us all closer together. This baby won’t be us trying to fix problems in our relationship; it’s us building our family. I love you with all my heart and if you really don’t want another baby, I won’t force you, but Callie, if you do want another baby, understand one thing, so do I.”

Callie was silent for a moment. Arizona could see tears streaking down her cheeks.

“Maybe the next one can be a mini you?” Callie asked hopefully.

A huge smile burst across Arizona’s face.

“If that’s what you want my love.” Arizona said softly as she leaned in to press a kiss to Callie’s lips.

Callie pulled away and looked in Arizona’s eyes.

“I can’t wait.”

Arizona smirked and leaned in for another kiss.

For the next couple of hours, they ended up using the study for decidedly non-work related activities.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

With the decision made about having a baby, other issues had to be settled. One in particular, first and foremost.

Arizona was pacing nervously. She was waiting for Callie to get home from work. She had been called in after dinner and had just called to say she was on her way home.

Arizona heard the front door open and close. She heard Callie hang up her coat, take off her shoes, and then she heard Callie make her way to their bedroom.

The door opened and Arizona turned to watch as Callie entered.

“Hey! You’re still up.” Callie said quietly, not wanting to make too much noise.

“Yeah, I wasn’t tired after Sofia went to sleep.”

Callie took a look at Arizona and realized something was bothering her.

“Are you okay?” Callie asked in concern.

“Yup.” Arizona replied quickly.

“Arizona…tell me what’s wrong.” Callie coaxed.

Arizona sat down on the bed and gazed at Callie.

“I want a baby.” She finally said.

“I know. So do I. We already talked about this.” Callie responded.

“Just let me get this out and then you can talk…please.” Arizona pleaded.

Callie nodded.

“Like I said, I want a baby. I need you to know that and not doubt that based on what I’m about to say next.” Arizona paused to gather her thoughts. Callie waited for her to continue sensing how important this was to Arizona.

“I don’t want to carry the baby. I’m concerned about how the prosthetic will react to the changes in weight and I don’t want to take any chances. I know there are things that can be done, but it would still be in the back of my mind and I don’t want to be scared Callie. I want to look forward to this baby without having the fear of something going wrong, so I still want to get a surrogate. Is that okay?” Arizona finished up with a hopeful look on her face.

Callie quietly contemplated for a moment before sitting next to Arizona.

“Arizona, thank you for explaining why you don’t want to carry, but to be honest, even if you just didn’t want to carry a baby, that would be fine. Just because you are a woman doesn’t mean there is a law that says you have to want to give birth. No one, not even me, is allowed to make you feel bad about that. We’re going to get a surrogate and then we’ll have a beautiful little baby to add to our family and at the end of the day that is all that matters.” Callie caught Arizona’s eyes to make sure Arizona saw Callie meant every word she had said.

“Really?” Arizona whispered.

“Of course.” She answered as she pulled Arizona in for a hug.

“Thank you so much.” Arizona said into Callie’s neck.

“No reason to thank me, love.” Callie responded quietly.

A weight had lifted off of Arizona’s shoulders with Callie’s response.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
They had made all sorts of plans for the baby and the surrogate. Now they just had to make an appointment with the surrogacy agency, but something was holding them back.

They were eating lunch in Callie’s office avoiding discussing the elephant in the room.

Finally Arizona broke the silence.

“What do you think we’re waiting for?”

Callie looked up in surprise.

“What?”

“What are we waiting for? We made a decision about having the baby, we agreed on getting a surrogate, we’ve set up a plan for our schedules. Why are we hesitant to call the agency?” Arizona questioned.

“I don’t know about you, but…um…it’s…” Callie trailed off uncertainly.

“Callie?” Arizona probed. She knew deep down why she was hesitating but she needed to know why Callie was.

“Ithinkweshouldgetmarried.” Callie blurted out in a rush.

“Okay, you’re going to have to slow that down. I think I know what you just said, but I don’t want to be mistaken. So please repeat that slowly.” Arizona stated.

Arizona waited as Callie debated with herself before speaking.

“I want this baby more than anything, but I want us to be married when we have this baby. I know it’s not a requirement, but it almost feels like the right way to do it this time.” Callie revealed.

Arizona’s eyes widened in shock. Callie felt the same way she did.

“I do too.” Arizona admitted.

Callie swung her head up to meet Arizona’s eyes.

“So…we’re getting married.” Callie observed softly.

“We’re getting married.” Arizona confirmed with a nod.

Callie stood up and crossed the room to stand in front of Arizona. She slowly bent down and sealed their engagement with a kiss.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Marriage plans had been surprisingly easy. They wanted to get married as soon as possible and neither wanted a big wedding.

They knew along with Sofia, Callie’s father had to be there and Arizona’s parents would have to be there as well, but they decided that would be it. They were going to the court house to get married. It may not be some grand sign of their love, but it was exactly what they wanted. Something simple.

They had decided against engagement rings, opting instead to get new wedding bands. Something new to signify a new beginning.

Their wedding was just a couple of days away and then they were going to go on a mini honeymoon. After that they would come back and go for their appointment with the surrogacy agency.

“So what do we do about tomorrow night?” Callie asked Arizona as they settled into bed for the night.

Arizona turned towards her, eyebrows raised.

“Tomorrow?”

“The night before the wedding.” Callie prodded.

“Oh…I don’t want to be apart.” Arizona admitted.

“How about I just stay in the guest room? Sort of stick to tradition, sort of not.” Callie suggested.

“It’s not like we have to do that Callie. We don’t even have actual wedding dresses we can’t see each other in…it’s just we spent so much time separate from each other, I don’t want to sleep without you anymore.” Arizona explained, vulnerability written all of her face.

Callie reached out and caressed Arizona’s cheek.

“We stay in the same room and do the same thing. Nothing changes.” Callie agreed.

“Well then if nothing changes…” Arizona pulled Callie on top of her and proceeded to kiss her thoroughly.

“Sex before marriage? You naughty girl.” Callie murmured as she leaned down and gave in to Arizona’s advances.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The wedding day had arrived and Arizona was a nervous wreck.

She had been rushing around trying to get some last minute things done before they had to head to the court house.

Callie had busied herself getting Sofia dressed and was now back in their room getting herself ready.

Arizona looked up and noticed the serene look on Callie’s face.

“Seriously?” Arizona said grumpily.

Callie looked up and quirked an eyebrow at her.

“How can you be so calm? I’m running around here like a lunatic. You got Sofia ready and now you are just quietly getting ready.” Arizona complained.

“Today I get to marry the love of my life. Nothing’s wrong with today and nothing could make me feel bad today.” Callie responded matter-of-factly. She shrugged and headed to the washroom to take a shower.

Arizona stopped and pondered Callie’s words. She quickly followed Callie into the washroom.

Callie turned to her and then shook her head.

“Oh no. We are not showering together. I may be calm, but we don’t have enough time for that.”

Arizona approached Callie and pulled her in for a hug.

“I know we’re not showering together Callie.” Arizona mumbled into Callie’s neck.

“Not that I’m not enjoying this hug, but what’s going on Arizona?” Callie asked obviously mystified.

“Thank you.” Arizona whispered.

“For what?” Callie was still puzzled.

“For reminding me about what’s important today…us.” Arizona drew back and planted a soft kiss on Callie’s lips before leaving her to her shower.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When they arrived at the court house, Carlos and Arizona’s parents were already waiting. They had a half hour wait until it was their turn.

“Both of you look beautiful.” Arizona’s mother complimented.

They had decided on wearing non-traditional colours because they wanted to wear something the other would love. To that end, Arizona had settled on a red dress. She knew Callie loved her in red and she had insisted on Callie wearing a purple dress. She couldn’t wait to divest her of the dress later.

The group made small talk until it was time for the ceremony.

The ceremony itself lasted about 10 minutes. It was the best 10 minutes of Arizona’s life. She and Callie had pledged themselves to each other for the rest of their lives.

She knew this time it was for good.

After the ceremony, Sofia had gone off with the parents. Arizona’s parents were staying with Carlos since he had the space. Sofia was going to be spending time with them while Callie and Arizona were on their honeymoon.

They were going to Hawaii for four days. Then they had to be back for their appointment.

The ladies had made a quick stop at home to grab their bags and then headed to the airport.

Now sitting in the plane on the way to Hawaii, Arizona looked over at her sleeping wife.

Callie had been tired when they reached the airport, but she stayed awake long enough to hold Arizona’s hand as the plane was heading down the runway. She knew Arizona was still a little nervous about planes. Arizona didn’t think she could love her more than she already did but that little gesture showed her how much this woman loved her and cared about her.

Now sitting and watching Callie sleep, Arizona pondered everything that had brought them to this point.

They had nearly broken for good but turned around and fought back. They fought for each other and for a future together. They had earned each other in a way they hadn’t in the past.

Now they were married and shortly they would be adding to their family. Life had never been better and Arizona for one couldn’t be happier.

She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Callie’s cheek. She settled back in her seat and got comfortable for the rest of their journey, a warm smile playing on her lips.

THE END


End file.
